Max Verstappen’s five most career-defining Red Bull performances in F1 amid Mercedes 2026 links

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Max Verstappen has had some incredible drives since his introduction to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso in 2015.

Amassing 65 Grand Prix victories and 117 podiums with Red Bull, Max Verstappen‘s future at the team he has spent 13 years a part of is now in doubt.

The sacking of Christian Horner last week shed light on the current situation in Milton Keynes, with Verstappen sceptical about staying on due to questions about Red Bull Powertrains’ 2026 power unit.

However, Red Bull can ‘guarantee’ Verstappen’s place in the team next season if they give him a competitive enough car for the next couple of races.

F1 Oversteer takes a look at the top five drives from Verstappen’s glittering career at the Austrian team, so far:

5. 2020 70th Anniversary Grand Prix

Taking place at an empty Silverstone circuit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Max Verstappen made his mark on the Towchester tarmac with a determined drive to beat the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in the dominant Mercedes W11.

He started from fourth on the grid, alongside Nico Hulkenberg, who was standing in for the COVID-stricken Sergio Perez. He dispatched the German at turn one and set his sights on the Mercedes in front, who were squabbling for the lead.

Behind them by just one second, Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, quickly informed his driver that he needed to let them go off into the distance so that the RB16 could cool its tyres.

The now four-time world champion replied with one of the more memorable radio exchanges to date, shouting, “Mate, this is the only chance of me being close to the Mercedes, I’m not just going to sit back like a grandma!”

Sit back, he did not. A long first stint paid off for the Dutchman, who still managed to control his tyre temperature even with the dirty air in front. He capitalised on the Silver Arrows suffering from severe graining issues and managed to get a pit-stop ahead of Lewis Hamilton before finally changing his tyres.

He came out just behind the net race leader, Bottas, but quickly left him in the dust at Luffield, going on to win his and Red Bull’s first Grand Prix of the season.

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4. 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Following an extremely wet qualifying session in Brazil, which saw five red flags and his championship rival Lando Norris take pole position, Verstappen’s fourth world championship looked like it might have been slipping out of his grasp.

The Dutchman started the Grand Prix from P17, and had it all to do. However, when the lights went out, Verstappen locked into a sort of flow-state, which saw him climb up to sixth position by the end of lap 12.

A red flag was brought out on lap 32 due to poor visibility in the heavy rain conditions, which benefited Verstappen greatly. He was able to change tyres during the break, meaning he was no longer a pit-stop behind and could firmly set his sights on the race win if he could get past Esteban Ocon on the restart.

The Alpine driver managed to build a small margin over the Red Bull behind once the race was restarted, before Carlos Sainz crashed on lap 39, bringing out yet another safety car.

Ocon was unable to keep the Red Bull behind this time, with Verstappen dispatching the Frenchman on lap 43 to take his first win in 2024 since his victory at the Spanish Grand Prix five months prior.

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3. 2021 United States Grand Prix

The race at the Circuit of the Americas in 2021 was a defining moment for Verstappen in the midst of a fiery championship battle with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The Red Bull driver held a narrow lead in the championship standings, and every point was crucial to whether or not he would be lifting the drivers’ championship at the end of the season or not.

After taking pole in qualifying, he was beaten to turn one by his championship rival in the Mercedes and had to sit behind the W12 before his race engineer pulled him in early in an attempt to pull off a risky undercut.

The Dutchman withheld an assault from Hamilton in the closing stages of the race, having to also navigate past the collection of backmarkers in front of him. Despite the British driver’s efforts, Verstappen was able to stand the pressure on the final lap and saw the chequered flag first for the first time on US soil.

This effectively doubled Verstappen’s lead in the championship, building the gap to ten points ahead of the following Mexico City Grand Prix. The victory was also instrumental in Verstappen’s title drive that season, where he won his maiden drivers’ championship in Abu Dhabi.

READ MORE: All to know on sacked Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with net worth

2. 2016 Spanish Grand Prix

Verstappen’s first race for Red Bull was nothing short of a fairy tale. Only 18 years old at the time, he swapped seats with an out-of-form Daniil Kvyat and wasted no time in making his mark within his new team.

After qualifying fourth in Barcelona, the Dutchman capitalised on the infamous Mercedes incident at turn four, which saw title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg take each other out, immediately gaining second place.

Verstappen’s team-mate, Daniel Ricciardo, inherited the lead following the incident, but Verstappen’s raw talent helped him nail a two-stop strategy and take the lead from his more experienced team-mate, who already had three Grand Prix victories under his belt.

The youngster then held off attacks by the Iceman himself, Kimi Raikkonnen, before taking the chequered flag to become the youngest ever Formula 1 Grand Prix winner, dethroning Sebastian Vettel’s record from the 2008 Italian Grand Prix by three years.

1. 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix

If the Spanish Grand Prix was just the starter in terms of Verstappen showcasing himself as a future world champion, the Brazilian Grand Prix that year was the main course.

The heavens opened for the penultimate race of the 2016 season, causing the Grand Prix to start under safety car conditions due to poor visibility. Verstappen started fourth on the soaking wet track, but the flying Dutchman quickly made his way past Raikkonen for third in the opening laps.

On lap 10, he produced one of the most incredible overtakes of his career, finding the grip on an unorthodox line and sending it around the outside of Nico Rosberg at turn three to put himself into second place.

After a brief red flag and a ballsy move to opt for intermediate-weather tyres on the restart, Verstappen dropped down to P16 as he pitted for full-wets with 16 laps to go. One of the best wet-weather performances ensued, with Verstappen carving his way through the field to find himself in third place on the podium by the time the chequered flag fell.

His performance that day went down in history, with Martin Brundle calling it ‘one of the best wet weather drives I have ever seen’. Not a bad compliment from someone who has seen the best of the best over a five-decade stint in the sport.