“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."

“The drivers were not happy with the balance; we are not where we want to be yet and it’s clear that we are not yet quick enough. When the cars are on the edge, like they are for everyone, then the smallest perturbation can upset things. On a more positive note, we ran the new iteration of the rear wing here all day without any issue. We have a lot of work to do tonight, but we already know where we can improve. We will go step by step and see where we get to tomorrow in FP3. I think the wind will once again make things challenging for everyone, so adapting to the conditions will be key."

After the second free practice session, Max says: "It was a difficult day. It was difficult to find a good balance in the car. We need to make the car more consistent on a lap, and make that work on the long runs as well. So there's still some work to do for tomorrow."

FP1 features several rookies with Paul Aron driving Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, Leonardo Fornaroli occupying Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, Frederik Vesti in Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes and Ryo Hirakawa steering Ollie Bearman’s Haas.

“We try every weekend to understand the essence of the car and on some tracks that’s easier than others. But it’s an upward trend”, said the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver. “Of course, we don’t know what the other teams bring in terms of updates. A weekend being good or bad might depend on the updates others bring if it gives them a couple of tenths worth of pace. We just approach it race by race.”

The 2026 power units remain a hot topic in and around the paddock. “At some point, it does get a bit tiring to repeat myself, it’s already difficult enough to drive with these cars”, smiles Max.

“We knew coming here that we would have a penalty with Isack and that he would be starting from the back of the grid, so, from early in the weekend, the plan was to make the most out of this situation and to get Isack to also help Max throughout Qualifying with slip stream. He and the Team executed this to perfection and that has certainly helped getting Max on the front row. We have been a long way off the straight-line performance Mercedes has shown this weekend and the tow certainly helped reducing that gap." 

“Isack did an amazing job in Q3 providing a tow in the final sector. That’s the reason I’m on the front row. It worked out well. It was close, but I trust him”, said Max after qualifying. “Tomorrow I’ll probably have to look in my mirrors, but today’s result was really good, despite lacking top speed. We’re not on the pace of Kimi, but the way we pulled today off as a team is great.”

Max added: “Tomorrow will be challenging; the tyres always struggle around here. I’ll drive my own race, and I’ll try to keep up.”

“It was great to be with the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team in Spa. I was in the garage for FP1 and FP2, so I learned a lot listening into the radio, seeing how the team operated and overall enjoying the experience. It’s always special to be at a Formula 1 event, so I always want to make the most of the opportunity and take away as much as I can from it.”

How special is it to be at Spa as a Belgian driver? Dries answers: “It’s very special. Seeing all the fans and experiencing the support from the Belgian crowd is incredible. Spa is one of my favourite circuits and the atmosphere here is always amazing. Hopefully one day I’ll have the chance to race here myself.”

“It’s been a good day, the car is in a good window”, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver said. “The balance was there right away, but we still need to do some fine tuning. I’m not sure how much more pace we can find as you see the real gap in FP2.

The Dutchman added: “It’s a challenging track with the energy management as we’re slower on the straights compared to our competitors, but the balance is pretty good. We’ll just keep focussing on ourselves and hopefully we can close the gap in qualifying.”

Following the rear wing issues Max experienced at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, which both resulted in crashes, the team has reverted to the previous version of the RB22’s rear wing for this weekend in Belgium. Max explains: “I think it’s quite obvious why we’ve done that. The team is doing everything it can to solve those issues. As soon as the new one is ready, we’ll use it. After Silverstone I went home, took some time to relax and reset, and on Wednesday I was back at the Red Bull Racing factory to prepare for the upcoming Grands Prix. The work simply continues.”

In July 2024, Dries joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme, which saw the teenager progress from karting - where he claimed seven championship titles - to Formula 4. Debuting with Rodin Motorsport for the final three rounds of the 2025 British Formula 4 season, Dries gained valuable experience delivering standout performances that saw him take pole and a subsequent victory on his debut weekend.

The Zolder originating racer’s success continued in the Formula Winter Series with another championship title, claiming nine victories out of the fifteen races. Halfway through the 2026 F4 British Championship, Dries is leading the championship after a double win at Circuit Zandvoort. Dries’ junior career has seen him establish a strong reputation for speed and consistency, earning recognition as a standout talent and one to watch.

“Today, we are a little bit further off pole than we were yesterday and this afternoon, it proved to be more difficult on Max’s side of the garage. We never managed to give him a car with which he could push the way he would have wanted, he was losing speed in a straight line and, in this situation, when it is so close between the top four teams, that is where you end up. Isack did a solid job, considering the limitations he also had with his car. Today, we seem to be the third best team, so let’s see how we can improve on that tomorrow."

“It just didn't work,” Max admits honestly after qualifying. “On one hand there’s just no balance in the car, but on the other hand we're slow on the straights. Somehow on my side of the garage we're slower everywhere. If you're slow on the straights, you use your battery more — you especially see that in the final sector. At some point you have no battery left and it all doesn't work anymore.''

When it comes to what this means for his future prospects, Max doesn’t hold back: “There's a problem within the engine that we can't find. That also leaves me a question mark for tomorrow with what we should do. Because this is pointless.”

“P3-P7 was very close, so we could’ve ended lower, but we are on the right side of that group”, explained Max. “We’re not yet where we want to be. That’s mainly to do with the corners and how we use our energy. We’ll look into that to find more lap time.”

Max added: “The car felt a bit better than in free practice. There is still some work to do, but that’s also to do with the limitations on them straights. We try to find the right balance. During the sprint I mainly expect the fight with the cars behind me.”

The conditions for FP1 are perfect with an ambient temperature of 21 degrees and not a hint of rain, the Great British summer at its best. Hamilton is the first driver to take to the track. All drivers, bar Max, quickly follow suit. The fans have to wait a further five minutes before the Dutchman joins the party.

During the first quarter of the session, Oracle Red Bull Racing appear to have hit the ground running with Isack Hadjar and Max regularly topping the timing charts.

On the other hand, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver also had the charging Kimi Antonelli behind him at the end, with the Italian likewise running out of laps to mount a challenge for P2 or even the victory. In Spielberg, Max was named ‘Driver of the Day’ for the third time this season, the Formula 1 fan-voted award.

Mekies continued: “Not sending Max out for a second run in Q2 was certainly a close call, but we knew we had to take some risks after deciding to approach qualifying with only three new sets of softs to give ourselves more strategic options for the race.”

After qualifying, Max commented on the heart-stopping moment when he lost control of the car: “On that same lap in turn 6 on the entry, I had a big moment. That was a bit weird because all weekend I haven’t had something like that. When I arrived to turn 9 and I turned in, the car was immediately gone, it was immediately full lock off. So that’s a bit odd. It’s a shame. I think realistically we could have ended up on P3.”

Red Bull Racing also came with an upgrade package to the Spielberg circuit. On whether the upgrade packet is pushing the car in the right direction: “We will have to see. On this track the laps are very short, so naturally a lot of people were close. There are still a few things to understand from the package — what worked well and some bits not so well, and we’ll work from there.”

The Verstappen Racing crew had started the Saturday part of the Rally in eighth place after a difficult day on Friday. Saturday’s leg start with the ninth special stage, Watou. For the first loop (five stages) tyres cannot be changed, and with rain pelting down, the choice of tyres will be critical. Championship leader Hayden Paddon immediately discovers the consequences of making the wrong choice when he ends up in a ditch, losing more than a minute to Stéphane Lefebvre, who started the stage on wet-weather tyres.

Starting 33rd on the road due to not setting a qualifying time on Thursday, Jos posts the nineteenth-fastest time on the opening special stage, Kemmelberg, after a small mistake along the way. On stage two, Zwarte Berg, he improves to tenth, and on the third stage, Reninge, he sets the ninth-fastest time. After three stages, Jos and Renaud have climbed to fourteenth overall.

“It was a difficult day to find the right balance", said Max after FP2. We need to work on the grip of the front and rear. We have to find the right compromise to find pace, because it looks like we’re lacking. We’ll see what we can do.”

FP1 sees several reserve and rookie drivers make an appearance. Paul Aron (Audi), Luke Browning (Williams), Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas) and Jak Crawford (Aston Martin) all take to the picturesque Red Bull Ring.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver added: “We already made improvements, but those were the ‘easier’ steps. The last few tenths, the ones you need to fight for the win, are the hardest. The team is always flat out, but other teams also bring upgrades. But we’ll try to keep closing the gap, hopefully we can starting this weekend.

“For me it was actually quite a lonely race and just too slow,” Verstappen said after the race. “Every stint you just lose a bit of time on every tyre. None of them really worked, at least for us. But I think that is also just because we are a bit too slow on all compounds.”

In the closing stages Verstappen was still setting competitive lap times on the medium tyre, but according to the four-time world champion it did not feel any better. “That was mainly because I pitted a bit later and therefore had a few laps of advantage. But towards the end it did not really go. In reality it was just the same as in all the stints.”

Verstappen also watched Lewis Hamilton take his first win for Ferrari. The Dutchman had praise for the seven-time world champion: “It is a nice moment. From what I could see he was incredibly quick today. Your first win with a new team is always very special, even if you have already won so much.”

He also reacted to the news that Nyck de Vries had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “I had not seen it yet, because I only look at my phone once I am back in my room. But that is obviously really great. I am happy about that.” He also looked ahead to the evening, when the Netherlands face Japan in football: “I hope they win, that is the most important thing.”

“It was a shame about the puncture and flat tyre, as things were going reasonably well,” Verstappen said in the morning, following their first stint. “We’re testing a few things and hope to continue on at the same pace.”

The pair were able to keep a good thing going in the following stints and outcompete the rest of the field. After crossing the finish line, a pleased Verstappen chimed in: “We are very satisfied with this win. We managed to improve the car throughout the day, it feels good. We’re happy with this."

The Rally of Wervik served not only as preparation for the Ypres Rally in two weeks' time, but also as Jamoul's first time stepping back in the car for a competitive session since suffering an ankle fracture.