Verstappen: Red Bull still F1's fourth-fastest team

Max Verstappen said Red Bull is still only Formula 1’s fourth-fastest team after a solitary fourth-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix, warning that setup changes alone will not close the gap to Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren.

Barcelona gave Red Bull little to hide behind. Verstappen started fifth and finished fourth only after Kimi Antonelli retired late on, but he never had the pace to attack the cars ahead or came under much pressure from behind. Lewis Hamilton won for Ferrari, George Russell was second for Mercedes, Lando Norris took third for McLaren, and Verstappen crossed the line around 40 seconds behind the winner.

Speaking to RacingNews365 after the race, Verstappen said Red Bull had fallen short on every tyre compound even though he felt the team had executed the right strategy. “I think in general we are still the fourth-fastest team. That will not really change at the upcoming circuits unless, of course, you can bring more performance. We won’t solve it just by changing the setup, so that’s what we’re going to look at.”

That verdict matched the weakness Verstappen had pointed to before the weekend. He had already flagged high-speed corners, tracks that put a lot of energy through the tyres, and heavy tyre wear as areas where Red Bull was still lacking, and Barcelona exposed exactly those limits. Even with an alternative strategy and an extra set of medium tyres available, he said there was no point in the race when he had the speed to move forward.

Verstappen’s assessment was blunt on what happens next. “In general it’s about bringing more performance and better upgrades. That’s what we’re working on,” he said.

He also made clear that the current pecking order will be shaped by development rather than weekend-specific fixes. Asked about rivals improving, including Ferrari’s level in Barcelona, Verstappen said: “That’s this season. Whoever brings improvements will make a step forward; it just depends on who makes the biggest step, or brings the biggest improvement.”

That leaves Red Bull needing a fast technical response if it is to get back into the fight with the front three rather than spend the next run of races defending fourth place on merit.