SEPANG — Max Verstappen and Red Bull have avoided their first winless year since 2015, finally securing victory in Malaysia a week after coming extremely close in Baku and ending the threat of a winless 2026 campaign.
During the Dutch media session in Baku, Verstappen said Red Bull had "done a great job messing up" its best chance to win a race in 2026. A day later he came extremely close to victory, and a week on the team has finally done it to break through for its first win of the season.
The turnaround has been driven by progress with Red Bull's final upgrade package of the year, which has delivered a clear step forward after a difficult season. The breakthrough follows Verstappen's pole in Malaysia and converts recent promise into a long-awaited result for the Milton Keynes squad.