Max Verstappen says his first pole position of 2026 demonstrates the progress Red Bull have made with their car in recent races.
“It’s always very hard to say why that is, but I think for us anyway, the last few races we have probably understood the car a little bit better, but also the upgrades have pushed some of the weaknesses out of the car,” he said.Verstappen was immediately competitive from the first practice in Sepang and unusually opted not to perform a soft tyre qualifying simulation in yesterday’s second session. Red Bull introduced an upgrade to their car at the last race in Baku, where Verstappen finished a close second, and the RB22 has performed well on a very different type of track this weekend.
“There are, of course, always things that you would still like, but we have been adding bits to the car and they have worked,” said Verstappen. “It’s simple as that.
“When they work, you gain lap time, you have a better overall balance in the car. So with tyres that are very sensitive to balance, that gives you also more lap time.
“Then, on a track probably where it’s all very hot and you want a stable balance or connected balance, then that’s very important. And that’s, I think, what we have found a little bit more over the last weekends.”
His team mate Isack Hadjar, who missed three rounds prior to last weekend due to injury, said their car has clearly improved during his absence.
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“I definitely feel like I jumped in a car that’s way better than when I left it in Budapest,” he said. “Definitely, when you step out actually for three races and you come back, you actually notice a bigger difference.
“The last two weekends have been surprising. Even though I was following from close, even though I was on the bench, I feel like I’m quite surprised driving this car right now.”
Hadjar said Red Bull have a clear idea where they can make further gains with their car.
“I still believe there are things that need major improvements and still the car is performing okay, so it’s only good news,” he said. “I’m actually surprised it’s performing that well on a Tarmac that has such low grip. Usually it doesn’t really suit our car, but apparently it does.
“So it’s good that it works in Baku and Sepang, two completely different tracks. I think it’s good news.”