Max Verstappen News, Rumors & Driver Updates

Verstappen Conquers Chaotic Sepang Race for First Win of 2026 - Speedway Digest - Home for NASCAR News SEPANG, Malaysia — Max Verstappen survived changing weather, multiple race neutralizations and a late charge from Mercedes rookie Kimi Anton...

7 HOURS AGO • SPEEDWAYDIGEST.COM

Wins Bahrain GP in Malaysia Verstappen converted pole position into victory during Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, which was impacted by heavy rain, featured an entertaining crossover from intermedia...

Impact Rain would delay the start of this grand prix but once things would get going, Verstappen would be slow to start in the wet conditions. Both Mercedes would vault past him at the lights out and Verstappen would slip to P3. Soon the Red Bull Racing star would be on the comeback trail. Verstappen would pick off Russell and several laps later Antonelli to climb back into P1. A late safety car would add some spice, but Verstappen would hold off Antonelli to collect his first victory of the season.

15 HOURS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Claims First Pole of Season Verstappen made a long-awaited return to the top of the timesheets in Qualifying, beating Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar to take his first pole position of 2026 for the Bahrain Gr...

Impact The Red Bull Racing star would lead all three portions of qualifying Saturday at the Sepang International Circuit. Both Verstappen and Isack Hadjar would advance into Q3 and battle for pole position. For a bit it would look like a front row lock out for Red Bull, but Hamilton's late flyer would displace Hadjar and demote him to P3. For Verstappen it would be his first pole of the season and 49th-career pole position. He'll be seeking his first win of the season in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix of Malaysia.

1 DAY AGO • ROTOWIRE

Leads FP1 in Malaysia Verstappen topped the timesheets during the opening practice hour at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Red Bull man setting the pace ahead of George Russell and Isack Hadjar,...

Impact It's been since 2017 when Formula 1 last competed on the Sepang International Circuit, so there was a steep learning curve for some drivers in Friday's opening practice. Verstappen would rise above the battle with fast early laps in the session and then ultimately a lap of 1:37.520 of the challenging track. He would beat out Russell by almost four-tenths and lead the practice by a comfortable margin. Verstappen looks like a podium threat for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

NASCAR's Larson maintains playoff lead with Kansas victory and Russell claims first F1 Grand Slam

Kyle Larson strengthened his Cup Series playoff lead with a dominant Kansas victory, while Kaden Honeycutt swept both stages and led 111 of 134 laps in a rain-delayed race for his...

5 DAYS AGO • Associated Press

Russell se lleva un caótico GP de Azerbaiyán ; Checo Pérez sigue sin sumar Mercedes se llevó el triunfo en Bakú con su piloto británico en una carrera accidentada donde vencio a Max Verstappen por 0.196 segundos.

SEPTEMBER 26 • SI.COM

Runner-up Finish in Baku Verstappen finished second in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Baku Street Circuit on Saturday afternoon.

Impact Verstappen would start eighth on the grid and quickly move through the field on medium tyres. The pace of his Red Bull was fantastic on the long straights of Baku. Verstappen would get stuck in P3 behind Oscar Piastri for a time, but two late-race safety cars would change up the game. George Russell's commanding lead evaporated and Verstappen was able to challenge him over the final 11 laps. He would fall short in that challenge by one-tenth at the checkered flag for the impressive runner-up finish.

SEPTEMBER 26 • ROTOWIRE

Leads Final Baku Practice Verstappen denied George Russell a clean sweep of fastest practice times ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as the Red Bull driver finished quickest in Free Practice 3, Formula1.c...

Impact This final practice in Azerbaijan would provide some surprises. Verstappen would log a lap of 1:43.922 on the Baku circuit and edge Russell by one-tenth to lead this final session ahead of pole qualifying. The Mercedes have looked untouchable up until this point in the weekend, so it was a bit surprising to see Verstappen top the timing sheets. The Red Bull Racing star will hope to challenge the podium this Saturday in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

SEPTEMBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

NASCAR's Logano moves into top 3 after Bristol win and F1 heads to historic streets of Baku

Joey Logano climbed to third in the NASCAR Cup standings with his 40th career victory at Bristol, while Sheldon Creed emerged with an 11-point advantage in the O’Reilly series

SEPTEMBER 22 • Associated Press

Runner-up Finish in Madrid Verstappen finished second in the Spanish Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Madring Circuit on Sunday afternoon.

Impact Verstappen would start on soft tyres and look to grab the lead early after the lights out. He would pass both Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, but would go off track to accomplish those overtakes. The Red Bull Racing star would give those two spots back a few laps later to avoid a penalty. It would end up being a wise decision as Verstappen would promote upon Hamilton's retirement and then later catch a VSC for a cheap pitstop. In the closing laps Verstappen would hold off a stiff challenge from Lando Norris to secure an impressive runner-up finish in Madrid.

SEPTEMBER 13 • ROTOWIRE

Podium in Italy Verstappen finished third in the Italian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Monza Circuit on Sunday afternoon.

Impact Verstappen came from fifth on the starting grid to a fast start. He would climb to third-place in the opening laps with some brilliant overtakes. Verstappen would briefly take the lead after the standing restart from the red-flag period on lap 5. However, his Red Bull machine simply didn't have the pace to hang onto the lead. Verstappen would then wage a defensive race to hang onto track position and he would fend off several challenges from Lando Norris to collect the strong podium finish in Italy. It was his fifth podium of the season and fourth in the last six races.

SEPTEMBER 6 • ROTOWIRE

NASCAR Cup Series playoff field set and Palou ties record with 4th straight IndyCar championship

Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series into the postseason as the No. 1 seed, while Ryan Preece secured his first playoff berth in the regular-season finale

SEPTEMBER 1 • Associated Press

Big mistake in home race Verstappen crashed on the opening lap of the Dutch Grand Prix F1 race at Circuit Zandvoort on Sunday.

Impact The Red Bull remained off the pace of the fastest teams on the grid, so Verstappen's sixth-place sprint finish was solid. However, after qualifying seventh, his grand prix came to a quick end when he departed from the dry line at Turn 14 and made heavy contact with the wall. Verstappen escaped without injury and will look to rebound in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix.

AUGUST 24 • ROTOWIRE

Runner-up Finish in Budapest Verstappen finished second in the Hungarian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Hungaroring on Sunday afternoon.

Impact Despite dealing with shifting issues and terrible tyre degradation, Verstappen would be persistent in his efforts at the Hungaroring on Sunday. The Red Bull Racing star would have classic battles during this race with Lewis Hamilton and forge position in the podium spot. A late-race VSC would give the leaders an opportunity to pit for fresh tyres, but Verstappen would stay out and gain track position. The gambit would pay off as he would hold off Kimi Antonelli down the stretch on old soft tyres. Verstappen would be rewarded with an impressive runner-up finish in Budapest.

JULY 26 • ROTOWIRE

NASCAR heads to the Brickyard and F1's Antonelli and IndyCar's Palou continue hot streaks

NASCAR returns to Indianapolis after Joey Logano broke through for his first Cup win of the year

JULY 21 • Associated Press

Podium at Spa Verstappen finished third in the Belgian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on Sunday afternoon.

Impact The Red Bull Racing star would start P2 on the grid and briefly overtake Kimi Antonelli for the lead. However, Verstappen would surrender it back in short order as the Mercedes driver rallied back. He would opt for the undercut strategy and pit early on lap 18. In Verstappen's second stint he would battle hard with Lando Norris and he'd eventually overtake the McLaren star and establish P3. He would hold down that position even though Verstappen had struggles with pace and would collect his third podium of the season at Spa.

JULY 19 • ROTOWIRE

Tops FP1 Verstappen set the pace in the first hour of practice for the Belgian Grand Prix, edging out the rapid Ferrari duo of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Formula1.com reports.

Impact The Red Bull Racing star brought a car to Spa that was equipped with the old spec rear wing after crashes due to wing malfunction the last two rounds. Verstappen would post a lap of 1:47.070 to edge Hamilton by a little more than a tenth to lead the way. He was two-tenths up on Leclerc in P3. The good pace is an encouraging start to the weekend for Verstappen and his team that have been in the midst of some serious struggles.

JULY 17 • ROTOWIRE

Blaney survives overtime as Cup Series returns to North Wilkesboro

Ryan Blaney wins the third round of the Cup Series in-season challenge

JULY 14 • Associated Press

Heavy late crash Verstappen crashed on Lap 47 of the British Grand Prix F1 race at Silverstone Circuit on Sunday.

Impact Verstappen had a weekend to forget at Silverstone. He qualified well for the sprint, but slipped to sixth after beginning the event in third. Verstappen did the opposite for the grand prix, as he was out-qualified by Isack Hadjar but looked to be in line for a podium finish. However, he crashed with high impact with only six laps remaining, in what looks to have been primarily an issue with the car. This marked Verstappen's third retirement of the season.

JULY 8 • ROTOWIRE

Runner-up Finish in Austria Verstappen finished second in the Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on Sunday afternoon.

Impact Despite crashing out of Q3 in Saturday's qualifying, Verstappen would rally and turn in a tremendous race Sunday at the Red Bull Ring. He would get a good launch at the lights out and pass both Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc in the opening laps. Verstappen's race was highlighted by a couple thrilling battles with Lewis Hamilton in which the two would overtake each other multiple times. Verstappen would shore up P2 after the final stop of the day and push race-winner, George Russell, all the way to the finish. It was his best result of the season and the most pace the Red Bull Ford has shown thus far in the season.

JUNE 28 • ROTOWIRE

Qualifying Crash Verstappen crashed during Q3 of qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday.

Impact Verstappen would advance to Q3 and be thick in the running for pole position. However, his final flying lap in the closing seconds of Q3 would see him lose control in turn 9 and slide right through the gravel trap and hard into the barriers. There would be extensive damage to his Red Bull machine and the team would be seen removing the backup car from the hauler afterward. Verstappen's 1:06.475 lap would be good enough for P5 but he'll lose that spot on the grid if he does utilize the spare chassis.

JUNE 27 • ROTOWIRE

Fourth in Barcelona Verstappen finished fourth in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix F1 Race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday.

Impact Verstappen had a relatively straightforward weekend, qualifying fifth and then earning a position on race day after Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire. Verstappen did manage to run ahead of Oscar Piastri despite arguably having the worse car, allowing him to slightly overachieve. He still has only one podium finish on the season, but Verstappen is getting the most out of his Red Bull for the time being.

JUNE 15 • ROTOWIRE

Heartbreak in Monaco Verstappen was forced to retire from the Monaco Grand Prix F1 race before completing a lap at Circuit de Monaco on Sunday.

Impact Verstappen pulled out an impressive qualifying performance to line up second on the grid, only four one-hundredths of a second off the pace of Kimi Antonelli. While it was anticipated that Verstappen would push Antonelli for the lead and the win, he was barely able to get his car off of the starting line. Red Bull announced that the issue was caused by a power unit failure, an issue that will be corrected in time for the upcoming Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

JUNE 10 • ROTOWIRE

Is Max Verstappen handling the media well? 🤔

JUNE 9 • FOX SPORTS

P3 in Canadian Grand Prix Verstappen finished third in the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday afternoon.

Impact Verstappen would move quickly from P6 due to the unscheduled early stops for both McLarens to change tyres. He would also make an impressive overtake of Lewis Hamilton in the early laps to race up into P2. However, his final stint on medium tyres would lose pace due to the cool temperatures. Hamilton would track Verstappen down and retake P2 on lap 62. Verstappen would hang on to claim a strong third-place finish in Canada and first podium of the season.

MAY 24 • ROTOWIRE

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