Verstappen's performance blows analyst away: 'Max Factor is well and truly a thing'

Among his top five drivers of the 2026 season so far, Verstappen also earned a place alongside Lando Norris, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto and Kimi Antonelli.

The Dutchman has scored several podium finishes for Red Bull Racing, but he could only fight for victory at the Red Bull Ring. In Hungary, he finished second behind Norris, but crossed the finish line 15 seconds behind the McLaren driver.

The Canadian wrote: "It’s true that this season has been harder to judge at times for Max Verstappen. The RB22 is a handful at the best of times.

He also pointed out that Verstappen has consistently defeated his teammate, Isack Hadjar. Hinchcliffe continued: "As admirable a job as Hadjar is doing in the toughest seat in F1, he has only scored 62% of the points that Verstappen has. They’ve both struggled with the balance of their 2026 machine, but as always, the closer it gets to Max’s preferred feeling, the bigger the gap grows to the guy in the other car.

Entering the second half of the season, Verstappen faces a considerable gap to Antonelli in the drivers' standings. The Red Bull Racing driver is 110 points behind.

Verstappen is currently enjoying the summer break. His partner, Kelly Piquet, shared new photos from their family holiday on social media.

The four-time world champion was also pictured swimming in the sea, while Kelly sits on a surfboard with Lily.