Max Verstappen said there was “no reason to compete” in Sunday’s British Grand Prix if his Red Bull team failed to solve problems that limited top speeds during qualifying.
The four-time world champion finished seventh on the Silverstone grid, his struggles underlined by the fact that he was unusually ahead of team-mate Isack Hadjar, who was more than a tenth faster in fifth.
The setback comes after Red Bull appeared to have made significant progress as Verstappen finished second, his best result of the season, thanks to a significant upgrade package introduced for last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Asked what happened to him on Saturday, Verstappen said: Sky Sports F1: “Two things – the car was not balanced well, but it lacked top speed compared to the other side of the garage.
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2026 British Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights
“I had problems from the first run, but on a track like this, when you lack top speed, you run out of energy faster and are completely dead in the final stretch, so to be honest, it gets worse and worse.”
Verstappen’s frustration comes amid much speculation about his future with the team. This comes after the Dutchman’s camp recently held talks with McLaren about a potential switch.
When asked if the issue was track specific, given the difference in performance compared to Austria, Verstappen appeared to suggest that was not the case.
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Verstappen responds to rumors linking him with McLaren
“People come with updates,” he said last week. “It may look good now, but when they come with an upgrade, it goes a step further and falls short again.”
“I think it’s a bit like that. Plus, the car balance wasn’t very good on our part, and for some reason we weren’t able to get the top speed, so we couldn’t fix it throughout qualifying.
“So that’s a bigger concern to me because it clearly shows there’s a problem.”
‘I don’t want to think about the race’
Verstappen insisted his team will have any hope of gaining ground in Sunday’s race only if they can fix the top speed issues that left Hadjar behind.
When asked about his future prospects, he replied, “I don’t want to think about that right now.”
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Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Lando Norris and Oscar Piatri have commented on the rumors linking Verstappen and McLaren.
“The people in front of us are faster anyway, the way I feel right now.
“We have to solve the top speed issue first tomorrow (Sunday) or we won’t have to compete.
“And beyond that, you have to understand why the car balance doesn’t come together.”
Sky Sports F1 British GP Schedule
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Take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments from the British Grand Prix over the years.
Sunday, July 5th
8:20 AM: F3 Feature Race*
9:55 AM: F1 Academy Race 2*
11:10 AM: F2 Feature Race*
12.55pm: Grand Prix Sunday: British GP strengthened*
3pm: British Grand Prix*
5pm: Checkered flag: British GP reaction
6 p.m.: Ted’s Notes
*Applies to Sky Sports main event as well
Formula 1 is at Silverstone for the sprint weekend of the British Grand Prix. The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One, with the race taking place at 3pm on Sunday. Stream Sky Sports NOW – No Commitment, Cancel Anytime
