Verstappen boosted by Austrian upgrade as Red Bull deadline emerges

Max Verstappen’s hopes of remaining in contention for this year’s World Championship are set to receive a boost at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.

The four-time champ will benefit from upgrades to his Red Bull RB21 as he looks to claw back a 43-point deficit to Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings.

Red Bull poised to introduce upgrade package at Austrian Grand Prix

Verstappen finished second in the Canadian Grand Prix last time out to reel in Piastri by six points in the tight race.

The Dutchman sits third in the standings after 10 races, having won in both the Japanese and the Emilia Romagna Grands Prix.

His two wins are matched by Lando Norris, while Piastri has chalked up five in the other McLaren.

The papaya squad has been the team to beat thus far in F1 2025, though George Russell was able to add his name to the winner’s list in Canada last time out.

That event marked the first time this season that a McLaren has not featured on the podium, as Piastri took the flag fourth while Norris crashed out after making contact with his team-mate.

McLaren has insisted that its advantage has only ever been slight, with Red Bull hoping to close whatever gap that does exist at this weekend’s Austrian GP.

“We are now getting an update for Austria, which will then be refined again for Silverstone,” Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Dr Helmut Marko, told Kleine Zeitung.

“But if that doesn’t work, things will get difficult in the World Championship. And it’s not as if things aren’t difficult enough already.”

Should those updates fail to catapult back into serious championship contention, the 83-year-old contends that the title race will be beyond his operation this year.

With Verstappen the only Red Bull driver scoring serious points, the team is already essentially out of the fight for the Constructors’ Championship.

Significant new regulations next year, coupled with limitations surrounding development time and resources this year, leave teams in a delicate balance.

That could prompt Red Bull to swap its focus early in the hope of gaining a jump over its rivals, with Marko suggesting a deadline for that switch was fast approaching.

“There is a precise breakdown of how the wind tunnel and all the tools are used,” Marko explained.

“At some point, however, people will say: ‘That’s it for further development.’ For two reasons: Time – and the production of new parts takes time – and the cost cap.

“So, the question is: where do you spend your resources? I assume that after Silverstone or Spa, at the latest, there will be a decision to focus entirely on the new car.”

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Run at the Red Bull Ring, the Austrian GP is something of a home event for Verstappen.

It’s an event he’s enjoyed considerable success at too, creating a sense of optimism alongside the pending upgrades due this weekend.

However, he’s also pragmatic of the challenge that awaits in overhauling McLaren.

“Max Verstappen has won here [in Austria] five times, the track suits him,” Marko reasoned.

“It’s not just us who have problems with the tyres, everyone except McLaren is struggling.

“We are currently probably three-tenths behind McLaren, but in a much smaller working window, which makes it even more difficult.

“It’s not impossible to make up the three-tenths, but it has to come now. If the track suits us, like in Jeddah or Suzuka – Imola and Montreal weren’t too bad either – then it works.

“But the working window is extremely small.”

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