This weekend's Austrian Grand Prix will be the eighth race week of the 2026 Formula One season, but it could prove crucial if one F1 team is to hold on to their leading driver.
So far, the 2026 campaign has seen Mercedes dominate proceedings, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell helping the German team rack up seven race wins out of eight. The domination by Toto Wolff's team has seen them develop a strong 72-point lead at the summit of the Constructors' Championship standings.
Last time out in Barcelona, eight-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was able to secure his first F1 race victory in a Ferrari car to bring a halt to Mercedes' perfect start to the 2026 season.
However, one driver that has not enjoyed a satisfactory start to the current campaign is four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has failed to replicate the consistency he once had in a Red Bull car, as he has secured a place on the podium just once in 2026 while also failing to finish at the Chinese and Monaco Grands Prix.
Verstappen had recently expressed a potential departure from motor racing itself due to not being impressed by the recent regulation alterations in the sport while speculation persists about a potential move away from Red Bull.
It is widely suggested within the F1 world that the 28-year-old, who is currently seventh in the Drivers' standings, has a clause in his current deal with Red Bull which would allow him to depart ahead of the 2027 season if he is outside the top two in the standings by the summer break.
The mid-season break will commence following the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July, with the racing action set to return a month later in Verstappen's native Netherlands.
Antonelli leads the current standings with 156 points, while Hamilton sits in second with 115. Verstappen is a way off that second spot at the moment, sitting in seventh place with 55 points.
F1 Team's 'Last-Ditch' Effort to Keep Star Driver
With the exit clause coupled with Verstappen recently rebuffing a chance to extend his Red Bull contract from its 2028 expiration until 2032, the Austrian team are undoubtedly in a mass panic over keeping their star driver on board beyond this current season.
The team are set to do their upmost best to ensure Verstappen remains as a new report from Blick claims that the team will overhaul its current vehicle to such an extent that it will be the Austrian manufacturer's "biggest update in years."
The RB22 will ideally drop in weight from the alterations to meet the minimum F1 vehicle weight limit of 768kg. Ferrari's impressive performance in Barcelona was attributed to its SF-26 vehicle being altered from front to rear.
Blick also claims that the clause for the Dutchman's potential exit expires after the Singapore Grand Prix in mid-October, so it is expected that Verstappen will do plenty of pondering over the coming weeks.
Ultimately, Red Bull will be hoping that their latest changes can produce results starting in Austria this weekend, and can satisfy Verstappen to an extent that keeps him with the team beyond the current season and long-term.
So far, the 2026 campaign has seen Mercedes dominate proceedings, with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell helping the German team rack up seven race wins out of eight. The domination by Toto Wolff's team has seen them develop a strong 72-point lead at the summit of the Constructors' Championship standings.
Last time out in Barcelona, eight-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was able to secure his first F1 race victory in a Ferrari car to bring a halt to Mercedes' perfect start to the 2026 season.
However, one driver that has not enjoyed a satisfactory start to the current campaign is four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has failed to replicate the consistency he once had in a Red Bull car, as he has secured a place on the podium just once in 2026 while also failing to finish at the Chinese and Monaco Grands Prix.
Verstappen had recently expressed a potential departure from motor racing itself due to not being impressed by the recent regulation alterations in the sport while speculation persists about a potential move away from Red Bull.
It is widely suggested within the F1 world that the 28-year-old, who is currently seventh in the Drivers' standings, has a clause in his current deal with Red Bull which would allow him to depart ahead of the 2027 season if he is outside the top two in the standings by the summer break.
The mid-season break will commence following the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July, with the racing action set to return a month later in Verstappen's native Netherlands.
Antonelli leads the current standings with 156 points, while Hamilton sits in second with 115. Verstappen is a way off that second spot at the moment, sitting in seventh place with 55 points.
F1 Team's 'Last-Ditch' Effort to Keep Star Driver
With the exit clause coupled with Verstappen recently rebuffing a chance to extend his Red Bull contract from its 2028 expiration until 2032, the Austrian team are undoubtedly in a mass panic over keeping their star driver on board beyond this current season.
The team are set to do their upmost best to ensure Verstappen remains as a new report from Blick claims that the team will overhaul its current vehicle to such an extent that it will be the Austrian manufacturer's "biggest update in years."
The RB22 will ideally drop in weight from the alterations to meet the minimum F1 vehicle weight limit of 768kg. Ferrari's impressive performance in Barcelona was attributed to its SF-26 vehicle being altered from front to rear.
Blick also claims that the clause for the Dutchman's potential exit expires after the Singapore Grand Prix in mid-October, so it is expected that Verstappen will do plenty of pondering over the coming weeks.
Ultimately, Red Bull will be hoping that their latest changes can produce results starting in Austria this weekend, and can satisfy Verstappen to an extent that keeps him with the team beyond the current season and long-term.
