While the Red Bull looked competitive during free practice, Max encountered engine problems in qualifying. “The engine wasn’t working properly throughout qualifying,” Max says afterwards. “We had made an adjustment to the car, but it wasn’t working. I was already half a second down on the straights compared to my teammate.” In Q3, the problem became even more apparent. “You want to push for your middle lap and suddenly I’m told that my battery isn’t full. It’s not charging, it’s not working.” As a result, Max saw a strong starting position slip away. “You do such a good job preparing all weekend, the car is working well, and then everything falls apart in qualifying and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The problems also had an impact on the tyres. Because Max was unable to push at full speed, he could not get them up to temperature sufficiently for his final attempt. “I simply didn’t have the right grip on that final lap. And then, of course, you have the same problem with the engine not working properly. And I also had a yellow flag from Lando in front of me.” According to Max, the engine braking also behaved strangely at times. “It was like pulling the handbrake in certain corners. So yeah, something is seriously wrong. It’s not good enough.” Red Bull will have to investigate over the coming hours whether the problem can still be resolved. “I don’t know if we can fix this with this engine. It’s obviously frustrating to be so competitive all weekend and then throw it all away like that.”

“Mercedes looks like the fastest car, especially on the short runs, McLaren and Ferrari are hard to assess due to a lot happening on track, but we should be up there with them. It was good to see Isack back in the car and being competitive and up to speed straight away, with no issues concerning his wrist."

“It was actually a pretty good day”, said Max. “I’m pretty happy with the car. We’ll have to fine tune a few things and try to find some more lap time. But in general, it’s been a good start with the updates behaving the way we expected.”

The weather is glorious as the first practice session gets underway. The thermometer reads 28 degrees, while the track temperature is 50 degrees. As soon as the lights at the end of the pit lane turn green, the track immediately becomes busy. Max is also straight out on track, running a set of hard tyres, and immediately sets the fastest time. “The car is pulling strangely to the right, even when I am driving straight,” the Dutchman reports over the team radio.

“I get along well with Isack and it’s great that we can continue to focus on the future together. He was a rookie last year and he has done well this year so it’s only logical to give him an extension. He has earned it.”

After being side-lined for three rounds, Hadjar will be back in the cockpit with the challenging Baku street circuit awaiting the drivers. Max: “It’s challenging and can be hectic. It’s not easy to get into the right window and flow, especially with the tyres. That’s the real challenge, to find the confidence to be on the limit in every braking zone.”

Laurent Mekies, CEO and team principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, said: “We’re very excited to continue our journey with Isack. Since joining us at the start of the year, he has been superb on and off track, especially considering this is only his second Formula 1 season, which made extending his contract an easy decision.”

“From the very beginning, Isack immersed himself in the team, spending every minute at the factory with his engineers to develop the car, always eager to learn and improve. You could see from that first weekend in Melbourne that he handled the step up with remarkable composure and had earned his place in this seat.”

“The period since his injury has been a difficult one for Isack, but this extension is a testament to how much we believe in him and we can’t wait to see him back out on track. We still have a lot we want to achieve this season, but it's a great feeling to know that the drivers, engineers and everyone back at the factory are all heading in the same direction, committed and together.”

Looking back on the Spanish Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen finished second, the Dutchman says: “Madrid was a good result for us and the team has been working hard on taking this positive momentum to make sure we maximise the performance of the car in Baku.”

The driver duo had already secured an impressive podium finish in front of their home crowd on Saturday, and things went even better on Sunday, starting from third on the grid. Green immediately moved up to second place at the rolling start, slotting in behind the sister car from Emil Frey Racing. After a while, a full course yellow followed, and at the restart, Green made the difference by overtaking Konsta Lappalainen to take the lead.

The pit stop and driver change halfway through the one-hour race went smoothly, leaving Thierry to drive the remainder of the race without mistakes. Vermeulen did exactly that: after 36 laps, he took the chequered flag to secure his maiden GTWC Sprint victory. The second Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, driven by Matteo Cairoli, crossed the finish line in third place.

Taking his trophy, Max cheekily joked: “It’s my first one of the year, so I’ll take this one!”

“It was a good qualifying session for us”, said Max. “Third place is a great result. The car felt good and I was able to attack the corners the way I want to. It’s good result.” Max adds: “If we really want to compete at the front, everything has to be in tip-top shape. At the moment, we’re still falling a little short every now and then.”

Speaking after Friday’s running, Max said: “Not too bad. We are still trying to find some more pace over a single lap and to better understand the tyres during the long runs. We are finding more speed with every lap. There are always little things, such as the balance of the car, that you want to work on during free practice to improve. We will continue with that tomorrow.”

The 22 Formula 1 drivers are let loose on the brand-new Madring for the very first time, a challenging street circuit where keeping the car out of the wall appears to be an art in itself. As everyone gets to know the track better with every lap and the pace continues to increase. Both Ferraris immediately top the timing sheets, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way. After the first fifteen minutes of FP1, Max is in third, three tenths off the pace.

“It’s a tough track, very challenging. Let’s see how it is in a Formula 1 car. It won’t be easy. The kerbs and bumps will be challenging for us. The banked turn is cool. I don’t think it’ll be flat out, but it will require skill, which is always good.”

Despite F1 cars yet to take to the circuit, some in the paddock have already labelled it as a dangerous circuit. “If you have a small moment in certain sections, it can result in a crash, but that’s the same in Jeddah. It’s part of the game to keep margins. Of course, a mistake is easily made when you’re on the limit, so we’ll see”, said Max who is looking forward to experiencing Madrid.

Max had to fight hard for third place. The Red Bull was particularly lacking speed on the straights. “We’re obviously snails on the straights. The car didn’t feel very good and, of course, it’s disappointing when you see how much we’re lacking on the straights, but we maximised what was in the car.” Max once again struggled with the rear of the car, particularly through the slower corners. Nevertheless, he managed to fight his way towards the front. “There were some nice battles out on track. I often had to try to overtake around the outside, because between Turns 2 and 4 we were struggling quite a lot with the energy compared to our competitors.”

In the closing stages, Verstappen has another difficult moment at Turn 2 when the asphalt starts coming loose. “The asphalt was just coming apart there. I turned in and picked up all these loose pieces of asphalt. That completely unsettled the car.” Max then comes under pressure from the McLarens behind him. “They were in my overtaking mode and that makes quite a big difference here. But I’m happy with P3 and to be on the podium here.” After the race, Max also has some kind words for race winner Antonelli, who went from P19 to victory. “It’s obviously very special to win the Italian Grand Prix as an Italian. For me, it’s the same as winning at Zandvoort.” Asked about his Mercedes colleague’s impressive comeback, Max adds with a smile: “Every weekend, he strikes again. He’s doing a good job.”

“Shame,” Max says after qualifying. “I had a better feeling in FP3, the balance was a little better, but in qualifying there was something wrong at the rear of the car. We have had that problem before. The car then does not cope properly with the kerbs and bumps. You simply lose time there; I think at least two tenths.”

Looking ahead to Sunday's race at Monza, Max continues: “I do not know whether we are allowed to fix the problem on the car. If something is broken, sometimes you are allowed to replace it, but sometimes you are not. If the car stays like this, it is going to be a painful race, because there is more potential in it.”

The third practice session at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza got off to a fairly quiet start. It took more than fifteen minutes before the leading teams ventured out onto the hot track. Max was once again working with his race engineer GianPiero Lambiase for this session and the rest of the weekend, after Tom Hart had taken over the role during second practice.

Antonelli (1:23.032) and Leclerc then set the fastest times on soft tyres, although the Monegasque driver’s lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits. Max was four tenths off the pace on medium tyres. Norris (on mediums) and Hamilton (on softs) were unable to beat Verstappen’s time on their first laps. Leclerc did manage it, with the Ferrari driver moving into P2 on his second lap on the softs.

With half an hour remaining, Max improved his time to 1:23.455, putting him fourth at that point, behind Antonelli, Leclerc and Gasly. It should be noted, however, that the first two had set their times on soft tyres. Max then lowered his time to 1:23.100 to move into P2, before Russell went fastest with a 1:22.687, helped in part by a slipstream from his Mercedes team-mate.

Reflecting on his session, Max shared: “(It was) a bit tricky. Tricky balance — to get the corner balance together. That’s what we need to work for tomorrow to find a little bit more lap time. The gap is still big. I hope, of course, that we can close it a little bit over one lap and hopefully that will be even closer in the race. But at the moment, it’s difficult to say. We’ll work on our balance, and it will naturally come together a bit more.”

After several races where energy management played a lesser role, this weekend’s Grand Prix at Monza, the Temple of Speed, will see the topic firmly back on the agenda. Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen gave his take on the situation: “It’s going to be really painful. The cars are simply inefficient for Monza. But there’s not much point in staying negative. It is what it is and I have prepared myself mentally for it. I know this weekend will be different then what we were used to.”

The Dutch Oracle Red Bull Racing driver says: “Not being able to finish the race in Zandvoort was disappointing, but it was still really special to see the fans at the circuit one last time and thank them for all the memories. We are heading to Monza, after a reset, and it is difficult to predict how competitive we will be there. There are a few things we need to work on to be a bit closer to the pace and to make sure balance of the car is right.”

This specially designed suit, incorporating bold orange detail celebrates Max’s last home race as it leaves the F1 calendar. Fans and collectors alike have a unique chance to make a meaningful difference while bidding on a rare piece of motorsport memorabilia, which is signed and framed ready for display by the winning bidder.

"Not a lot happened," Max reflected after the Sprint in Zandvoort. "Tyre degradation was fairly well under control, so that was a positive. It was just that I got stuck behind Piastri, who was struggling with his rear end. Massive oversteer. But then again, you simply cannot overtake around here, so that made it a tricky affair."

Looking ahead to the remainder of the weekend, Max added: "Hopefully we can try a few things now to at least unlock some single-lap pace, because that gap is obviously still significant."

“(It) was just a bit tricky to find the grip, the balance”, Max shares after finishing sprint qualifying. “I mean, it was already a step forward from FP1, but of course, (we're) still lacking a little bit to get to be a little bit further up the road.”

Max further explains: “It's something that we need to understand, I guess, now - what we can do with the balance for tomorrow to find a bit more grip, really. A bit of balance, bit of grip to close the gap a bit."

At the start of FP1, conditions were dry overhead, though the track remained damp in patches. Dark clouds were also looming over the circuit, threatening further showers, with a 60% chance of rain forecast for the session.

“Being part of this team already for such a long time it's definitely like a second family. We have won so much, and we have had so many incredible moments already together. With Laurent joining last year, I think from the start, the relationship has been really good, very open and transparent. The future of the team played a role in this decision, as well as some strategic decisions. For me it feels absolutely right to continue here. I have always said, when Dietrich was still alive, that my goal is to finish my career in this team. And I think we are getting close to that. Of course, there are still a lot of years ahead, but that's still the goal. That's why I'm very proud to extend. We’ve been at the top many times, and I think we all want to do everything we can to get back there.”

Since joining the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2014 and making his Red Bull Racing debut in 2016 with a victory at his very first Grand Prix, Max has become far more than a driver. He is a defining part of Oracle Red Bull Racing’s history, identity and success.

Together, Max and the team have secured four drivers’ world championships, two constructors’ world championships and 71 Grand Prix victories, creating some of the most memorable moments of the modern era of F1.

As they prepare to enter seasons 12 to 15 together, this commitment is about more than continuing an already extraordinary alliance. It is a powerful statement of mutual trust and ambition and a shared decision to shape the future together.

Red Bull has resolved this internally by promoting Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson to Red Bull Racing. The New Zealander's seat at Racing Bulls is subsequently filled by Yuki Tsunoda.

“I didn’t expect to be on the podium today, but we worked hard for it,” Max explained after the race. “I think the start was decent — you know, to get through turn one and two — then after the first stop, to get back ahead of Lewis under breaking into turn one. And then trying to survive on the compounds, trying to make the right calls with the strategy, as well. Yeah, (I’m) very happy to be second here.”

The Red Bull-driver didn’t have the easiest go of it during the race: “It was one of the hardest races of the year, in terms of how I felt in the car. For 80% of the race… it wasn't enjoyable. the balance of the car was undriveable. The car was difficult to control. It had too much oversteer and was difficult to control in the hobbles. At the start already something wasn’t right. When I got out of the car there was a hole in the bodywork. Those kinds of things definitely don’t help.”

After the first pit stop, Ferrari successfully executed an undercut and Hamilton got ahead of Max. However, Max responded quickly and reclaimed his position with an impressive overtaking maneuvre. “I saw the opportunity as my only one, so I went for it. We’re good on the breaks so that helped. I was all under control.”

In the closing phases Max stayed out on the soft tyres, a move that proved decisive. “We had no other choice. If I went in, then I would’ve been behind the grid and behind Lewis. Then you’re done. We had to stay out and hope the tyres would hang on.” In spite of the great finish, Max stays realistic. “We have enough things we need to have a hard look at. I can’t say we’re there yet, because that’s not how it feels at all.”

The event, which is subject to final agreements and official sign-off, including the approval of the World Motor Sport Council, will become the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

This agreement, reached between Formula 1, the FIA, the Government of Bahrain, and the Government of Malaysia, allows Formula 1 to preserve a Grand Prix that would otherwise not have happened. The rest of the schedule for 2026 remains unchanged.

Sepang – which made its debut as an F1 venue in 1999 – is one of Formula 1’s most iconic and challenging circuits, known for its passionate fans, exciting racing and unpredictable weather.

Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “We are delighted to confirm that Malaysia will host the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2026. Once again, the sport has demonstrated its ability to adapt, find solutions, and deliver, creating an exciting moment for everyone who follows Formula 1."