(Motorsport-Total.com) – Max Verstappen managed to make it onto the podium at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix despite a difficult Red Bull. The Dutchman finished third behind the two Mercedes cars but had to deal with several problems along the way.
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Especially on the straights, Verstappen was at a disadvantage compared to the Mercedes-powered cars. “It was pretty clear during the race that we couldn’t keep up with the Mercedes-powered cars in deployment,” Verstappen explains. On a track like Monza, this is particularly difficult.
Added to this was the already known problem with the rear axle from qualifying. Verstappen confirms after the race that nothing had changed. “It was still there. Nothing has changed. It’s just not good,” he says.
Rear axle continues to cost performance
Especially over bumps and curbs, the Red Bull had problems. “You have problems over the bumps, the curbs, and especially in the slow sections,” says Verstappen. “The rear axle is just not very compliant.” There was no change compared to qualifying.
Nevertheless, Verstappen was initially able to fight with the Mercedes cars. This was mainly made possible by the use of the so-called Overtake Mode. As soon as Verstappen was within one second, he could deploy additional energy and thus stay significantly closer to his opponents.
However, the situation changed as soon as he was in front himself. “As soon as I was leading, it was very difficult to defend,” Verstappen explains. That was exactly one of his biggest problems throughout the race.
“When people pass you like you’re a turtle”
Verstappen had to resist in unusual ways several times. After overtaking maneuvers through the Curva Grande, he tried to come back around the outside in the next corners.
When asked how that felt in the car, Verstappen answers clearly: “Honestly, not very good when people just pass you like you’re a turtle.”
His response to the problem is typical Verstappen. “But yes, just attack again around the outside.” The Red Bull had good braking characteristics, which gave him the necessary confidence for the attacks.
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“The car is good on the brakes, that helps,” he explains. He succeeded with this maneuver twice in the second chicane. The duels were quite enjoyable for him, but at the same time frustrating.
Overtake Mode keeps Verstappen in the race
“It’s fun, but at the same time it’s frustrating,” says Verstappen. He therefore tried to get the maximum out of the available package. He succeeded at least over longer phases. After his pit stop during the Virtual Safety Car phase, Verstappen finally had to fight with the McLaren cars.
With the better tires, he was able to overtake cars, but as soon as his opponents also stayed in Overtake Mode, the speed advantage was too great. “As soon as they can stay in this Overtake Mode, it is simply too strong for us to really defend – even on better tires,” Verstappen explains.
Therefore, it also took a while before he could finally leave the McLaren behind. The decisive disadvantage was thus not only in the mechanical condition of his Red Bull but also in the energy available on the long straights of Monza.
Podium as a conciliatory conclusion
Despite these limitations, Verstappen was able to cross the finish line in third place in the end. For Red Bull, this is an important result after the difficult weekend in Zandvoort.
“Being on the podium after a very difficult weekend in Zandvoort, where the car was not really to my liking, is positive,” says Verstappen.
Red Bull had already improved significantly between Friday and Saturday. “We made a strong turnaround from Friday to Saturday and the car was definitely in a better window,” explains the Dutchman. Nevertheless, he is not completely satisfied. There are still several areas that need improvement. This explicitly includes the energy on the straights.
“We still have a few things and areas that we know need to get better – in addition to the obvious deployment on the straights,” Verstappen sums up.
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