Max Verstappen debuted in Formula 1 with Red Bull’s then junior team, Toro Rosso in 2015. While he would go winless that year, every year from 2016 to 2025, Verstappen would celebrate at least one Grand Prix victory.
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Formula 1 | Can Max Verstappen salvage a victory in 2026?
In one lineMax Verstappen struggles with Red Bull’s underperforming RB22 in 2026 but remains a title threat despite no wins yet.Key points• Verstappen’s dominance at riskVerstappen, a four-time champion, has never gone a full season without a race win until 2026, with his RB22 proving difficult to handle.• Red Bull’s technical strugglesThe RB22 is 9-10kg overweight and struggles in high-speed corners, lagging behind Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari in key areas.• Championship deficit growsVerstappen trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 110 points with 12 races remaining, making a title win mathematically unlikely but not impossible.• Past resilience offers hopeVerstappen’s history of overcoming deficits and extracting pace from underperforming cars suggests a race win is probable before season’s end.• Summer break crucial for Red BullRed Bull must address weight, aerodynamics, and electrical deployment issues to turn the RB22 into a race-winning machine.Key statistics110Verstappen’s points deficit to Antonelli9-10 kilogramsRB22’s weight excess over minimum limit12Races remaining in 2026 season102Verstappen’s 2025 points deficit overcomeProcessed with AI. Reviewed by DH Digital Team.
In 2021, he won his first World Drivers’ Championship in thrilling fashion – beating Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in a last-lap showdown of the final race on the calendar. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, he won three more championships and would go on to win more and more races, displaying dominance like the sport has never seen before.
For nearly a decade, an F1 season without Verstappen winning a race was unimaginable. Whether the Red Bull machinery he was driving was performing at its peak, or he was able to extract every single bit of pace from the car through an uncanny proficiency of his own, his race wins became an expectation rather than a surprise.
The 2026 F1 season is yet to experience a Verstappen classic, and many are wondering whether a win would even come. After 11 races, he remains winless and finds himself in unfamiliar territory with an RB22 that he, very vocally, does not enjoy driving.
2026 was the year of new regulations – a more hybrid engine – relying on electrical deployment to overtake and gather pace. Mercedes seemed to have understood the rules quite well as their young, 19-year old star, Kimi Antonelli leads the championship with six wins and nine podiums. His team-mate, George Russell is in a far second place as far as wins are considered with two.
Ferrari’s Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as well as McLaren’s defending champion Lando Norris have all also crossed the finish line first at least once.
Despite this, Verstappen seems unable to operate his Red Bull, managing multiple podiums but only finishing second at best. The final race before summer break, the Hungarian Grand Prix saw him struggle with the car aerodynamically and face both technical and software issues, but managing a second-place finish.
The RB22 is 9-10 kilograms heavier than the minimum limit, and has immense trouble gaining pace through high-speed corners – unlike the Ferrari. Technical circuits where electrical deployment and straight-line speed is concerned, Mercedes takes the lead. McLaren has found rousing success with their upgrades in Hungary, where Lando Norris won his, and the team’s, first race of the 2026 season.
It is clear that Red Bull are falling behind. But if Verstappen’s past encounters with adversities are to suggest anything, a win is more likely than not.
Over the summer break, Red Bull have the opportunity to work on their challenger and bring upgrades to finish off the 2026 season strong. Reducing the weight, improving how the car functions on long and winding straight lines as well as perfecting their strong suits like low-speed cornering are all features that would make the car a race-winning one.
Adding Verstappen’s ability to find pace despite the weather, safety car restarts, last-minute strategy changes and overall racecraft aggressiveness, will definitely allow him to find not only one Grand Prix victory, but multiple.
Winning the 2026 F1 drivers’ championship is close to impossible, but mathematically, he is not out. In 2025, Verstappen overcame a deficit of 102 points to almost beat Norris, but lost out by just two points in the end. This year, he finds himself 110 points behind championship leader Antonelli with 12 races to go. A turnaround like the sport has never seen would be necessary for Verstappen to see himself in contention for the title.
But ending the season without a single Grand Prix win would be an irony for this talented driver.
Formula 1 has repeatedly shown that momentum can shift over a single upgrade package or one chaotic Sunday afternoon. Verstappen may no longer possess the fastest car, but he remains one of the sport’s fastest drivers.
F1 STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 219
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 169
3. George Russell (Mercedes) 160
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 138
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) 128
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 109
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 92
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 68
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls ) 43
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 42
Constructors
1. Mercedes 379
2. Ferrari 307
3. McLaren 220
4. Red Bull 177
5. Racing Bulls 66