Racing
© Morio
Max Verstappen crashed out of third place at Stowe with 46 of 52 laps completed in the 2026 British Grand Prix at Silverstone, ending a recovery drive that had put the Red Bull driver on course for the podium and triggering a late Safety Car.
The retirement was a sudden reversal for Verstappen after one of his stronger recovery runs of the season. He had started only seventh, behind Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar, and spent the race working forward through overtakes and defensive driving to put himself back into contention at the front.
By the closing laps, Verstappen had done more than limit the damage from his starting position. He had established himself in third place and looked set for a comfortable finish on the podium. One summary of the race also described his stop as a relatively inexpensive pit stop, a detail that helped explain why there was still reason to believe he might yet pressure the cars ahead rather than simply settle for third.
Instead, the race turned in a bizarre moment at Stowe. With six laps remaining, Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull RB22, ran off, and ended up sideways in the gravel trap. Once the car was beached there, his afternoon was over immediately.
The abruptness of the incident was matched by Verstappen’s reaction on the radio. Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver, called the car “f*****g unbelievable” right after the crash as the frustration of losing a likely podium boiled over.
That anger reflected the scale of the missed opportunity. After spending much of the grand prix repairing the damage from a seventh-place start, Verstappen had put himself in position to salvage a major result. He had climbed past rivals, absorbed pressure when needed, and turned an awkward grid slot into what looked like a strong finish before the final phase unraveled.
His stoppage also changed the shape of the race for everyone around him. The car in the gravel brought out the Safety Car in the closing laps, wiping out the rhythm of the finish and disrupting the fight among the leading runners just as the grand prix approached its final sprint.
When the field was neutralized, Charles Leclerc led behind the Safety Car ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen’s crash becoming the defining late twist in a race that had seemed set to end with the Red Bull driver completing another standout recovery.