Wolff: 'Verstappen is always good for playing a role in the championship'

Speaking with GPBlog among other media after the race, Wolff admitted he was not surprised by Verstappen's performance, arguing that the Dutchman himself was the biggest factor behind Red Bull's competitiveness in Austria. The Mercedes team principal described Spielberg as one of Verstappen's strongest circuits, adding that the RB22 also appeared to be performing well throughout the weekend.

Finally, Wolff stressed that Verstappen should never be ruled out of the championship fight, arguing that the Dutchman remains Red Bull's biggest strength. He praised the four-time world champion's ability to extract everything from the RB22, pointing to the contrast with his teammates as evidence of the difference he makes, and insisted a driver of Verstappen's calibre can never be underestimated in a title battle.

Verstappen did not completely dismiss the idea of another late-season comeback, but made it clear that Red Bull still has several areas to clean up before it can realistically think about turning the championship fight around. The Dutchman acknowledged that the team has strong pace and more time available than at the same stage last year, but stressed that the gap remains significant and that performance alone will not be enough.

According to Verstappen, Red Bull still needs to become more consistent across the board, from race starts to internal procedures that are not always visible from the outside. While he avoided framing it as criticism, he admitted the team is still searching for the level of solidity it has shown in the past. Only then, he suggested, could the title picture start to look different.