Verstappen still identifies things to 'understand' despite fighting for victory in Austria

"I think what was satisfying is that this was the first time I felt like actually I could fight for the win," Verstappen began after claiming his second podium of the season at the Red Bull Ring.

On the other hand, he still noticed some issues. "I do think that the first half of the race, we were more competitive, because for whatever reason in the second half, something felt off on the rear of the car, where everything was just extremely difficult, from bumps, kerbs, traction, it was just completely gone. So that’s something that we need to understand again, what went wrong there. But yes, the first half I felt really good."

The Dutchman also locked horns with Lewis Hamilton on multiple occasions today. "I mean, I was closing the gap even after the battles that I had with Lewis. It was cool, but it made us of course lose quite a bit of time. So yeah, every time catching up. But then in the middle of the second stint, something happened with the car on the rear axle, which made me lose pace, and that just stayed there until the end. So that’s a bit of a shame.

"But still, to be that close to a win, I think is great effort from the team. They have worked really hard to get these upgrades on the car here, and this is the first time, I think, in the race where I felt really competitive. And I could push a bit more. So that is definitely the positive, I think, of this weekend," the four-time world champion explained.

Asked where the RB22 works better, he added: "It’s a bit more grip. Just goes a bit faster around the corner."

In the end, Verstappen crossed the finish line around a second behind Russell on Sunday. According to the Dutchman, it's difficult to address where Red Bull currently ranks after this race. "Well, I started fifth. I was closing the gap constantly every stint. So, I don’t know, it’s hard. I mean, I was catching George, Kimi was catching me. Yes, it was close.

"So, it’s stuff that we’ll look back at and try to understand. But for us, this has already been a very big step forward compared to the previous races. I mean, look at the last race. In the race, I was just by myself, really not challenging anything. So, on a track that the tyres are deg-ing, that’s a good sign," he concluded.