Max Verstappen stated that he finally managed to compete in a ‘normal’ race in the 2026 Formula 1 season, at the Canadian GP, after a season start marked by problems and incidents. The Red Bull Racing driver highlighted the relief of having experienced a weekend without setbacks, something that had not happened yet in 2026.
Read more F1: Steiner praises Wolff’s stance in the internal dispute at Mercedes
The third place achieved in Montreal also represented the four-time world champion’s first podium this season. Until then, Verstappen had been facing constant difficulties with the RB22, a car that, according to him, still does not offer the necessary level of confidence to extract its full potential on the track.
Even with updates introduced earlier in Miami, Red Bull again suffered from performance fluctuations in Canada. Still, McLaren’s wrong strategy with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who started on intermediate tires, as well as George Russell’s retirement due to a Mercedes power unit failure, opened space for Verstappen to fight for the top positions.
The Dutchman engaged in an intense duel with Lewis Hamilton during the race, mainly fighting for second place behind winner Kimi Antonelli. Despite losing the position to the Ferrari driver in the final laps, Verstappen showed satisfaction with the battle in Montreal.
“It was very good. I really enjoyed it,” said the Red Bull driver. Verstappen explained that the characteristics of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve favored close battles, especially because of energy management on the straights.
Read more Murilo Rocha lands in Interlagos excited after immersion in NASCAR in the USA
“When you are less than a second behind the car in front here, you can use a bit more energy. So on the straights you gain speed, and that is very efficient on this circuit,” said the four-time champion.
The result also marked the cleanest weekend for the Dutchman so far this season. Verstappen’s campaign had been marked by setbacks since the championship opener, when he suffered an accident in the qualifying session in Australia and had to make a recovery race before retiring in the next round in China.
In Japan, the driver finished only eighth after facing difficulties throughout the weekend in Suzuka. In Miami, despite positive signs shown by the car, Verstappen spun on the first lap and had to climb through the field to finish fifth: “In the final laps in Montreal I tried to attack again and it was very good. We were at the limit the whole time. I also think it was my first race where I basically had a normal race, with nothing crazy happening, so that was good too,” he added.
Read more F1: Raikkonen sees positive signs at Ferrari in 2026
