Verstappen gives a harsh verdict: 'A miracle I'm still in third place'

18:19, 26 Jun

byNicole Mulder

Max Verstappen is glad that Red Bull Racing has brought an update to the team's home race, the Austrian Grand Prix. At the same time, the Dutchman remains realistic and is well aware that the competition is not standing still.

Speaking to GPblog, among others, Verstappen briefly looks back at the Canadian Grand Prix, seeing him finish P2 and catch up on Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the top of the championship.

“We had everything right in terms of strategy there. Stay ahead, then it's hard to overtake. Luckily, the tyre didn't fall apart in the last stint. But if you look purely at the speed, we were really among the fastest”, he notes.

Max Verstappen currently sits on 155 points, 43 points off Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings on 198, while Lando Norris splits the two with 176 points.

Verstappen draws hope from updates

Not only in Spielberg, but also in the upcoming races, the Austrian Formula 1 team will bring new updates. However, Verstappen doubts whether it will be enough to truly bring him back into the title fight.

“Hopefully it helps. I don't know if it will be enough”, he admits. “And the others are, of course, not staying still, so you have to keep that in mind.

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“We'll see”, says the four-time world champion about the updates that will be introduced in the coming races. “Then we'll see where we stand.”

A miracle that Verstappen is in third place

Regarding the current form of the RB21, Verstappen is clear that it is not good enough. Asked whether it's a miracle that he is currently still in third in the championship, he replies: “I think so, yes.”