Despite securing P3, Max Verstappen believes Red Bull Racing struggled to match its rivals at the 2026 F1 Italian GP due to deployment and rear axle issues.
The result came after a challenging start to the weekend, with Verstappen finishing P9 in FP2 before improving to P3 in FP3. A rear-axle issue then limited him to P6 in qualifying, although he was later promoted to P5 on the grid following Oscar Piastri’s post-qualifying penalty.
Verstappen made a strong start at lights out, moving up to P3 by Lap 2 before Charles Leclerc’s crash brought out an early red flag. He then struggled at the restart, briefly losing a position to Franco Colapinto before quickly recovering to take P1 from George Russell. However, his lead didn’t last long as Russell and Kimi Antonelli moved ahead, with a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) soon providing Red Bull with the opportunity to pit for fresh hard tyres.
The stop dropped Verstappen down the order, but he steadily made his way back through the field before closing in on Piastri in P3. The pair engaged in a back-and-forth battle in the closing stages, with Verstappen ultimately completing a decisive pass on Lap 43 to take P3 and finish 10.8s behind Russell, while Antonelli claimed victory.
Verstappen on his difficult journey to P3
Speaking during the 2026 F1 Italian GP post-race press conference, Verstappen reflected on the challenges he faced throughout the race, specifically pointing to the RB22’s deployment on the straights and issues with its rear axle.
“Yeah, well, I mean, I had my issues yesterday that, of course, was still there today. But also, I think it was quite clear during the race that we just can’t keep up with the deployment of the Mercedes-powered cars. And that is, of course, on a track like Monza, very tough. I know, of course, with the overtake mode, it looked quite promising. But as soon as I got in the lead, yeah, it was very hard to defend. And that has been a bit my problem throughout the whole race.
“Even when we had the VSC, we boxed, you have better tyres, I’m overtaking cars. But as soon as they can hang in that overtake mode, it’s just too powerful for us to actually really defend that, even on better tyres. So it took me a while even to clear the McLarens.”
Despite the challenges, the P3 result marked Verstappen’s fifth podium of the 2026 season, coming just two weeks after his difficult home GP at Zandvoort, where he retired on the opening lap.
With this in mind, he continued: “But for us to be on the podium, I think after a very difficult weekend in Zandvoort, where the car was not really to my liking. Yeah, we managed to have a strong turnaround from Friday to Saturday and the car was definitely in a better window, but we still have a few bits and areas that we know that need to be better. Plus, yeah, the obvious, the deployment on the straights.”
Verstappen: “I just try to maximize everything I can”
When asked whether he had considered staying out under the VSC, Verstappen briefly explained:
“I don’t think I would have made it to the end on the medium. So I was quite happy to box. I think it was quite clear for us to do that.”
The decision saw Verstappen rejoin further down the order in P7, with the Red Bull driver having to work his way back into podium contention. Despite the setback, he remained determined, later noting that he found the race both frustrating and enjoyable as he looked to maximize the opportunities available to him.
“Yeah, I mean, to be honest, not a lot when people just drive by you like you’re a turtle,” he began. “But yeah, just send it back around the outside. The car is good on the brakes, so that helps. It’s a good confidence to attack the braking zones. And two times in the start, I managed to do that in turn four. So, yeah, I mean, it is enjoyable, but at the same time frustrating, you know. So I just try to maximize everything that I can.”
RB22 rear axle issues
Verstappen further admitted that the rear axle issue he had first reported during qualifying remained present throughout the race. The four-time World Champion had previously revealed that Red Bull had experienced the problem several times during the season, significantly affecting their performance.
“Yeah, it’s still there. I mean, nothing changed. It’s just not not good. Yeah. You struggle on the bumps, the kerbs and the low speed, especially it’s like the yeah, the rear axle is just not very compliant. So for sure, it was not ideal again today and costing performance. But it’s what it is,” he concluded.
