From Liam Lawson explaining how much Max Verstappen supported him during his time at Red Bull Racing to the lead-up to the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, GPblog recaps the best news of the day.
Lawson appreciates Verstappen: ‘He was very supportive’
Just two rounds into the 2025 season, Red Bull Racing replaced Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda. Speaking in the High Performance podcast, the New Zealander explained that Verstappen was very supportive of him.
He said: “When I went to Red Bull, through all of it, he was very supportive. I won’t go too much into detail about it, but he was very supportive. Very, very supportive. “I spoke to a lot of people during that time, but I spoke to him, you know, about it basically. And he was, he was very supportive.
“I just really appreciated it. I think it was. I think I was so excited to not to go against him, but to be good to go, you know, being a team with him and be able to have the opportunity to basically be in a car that’s the same as him and just see everything that he does and basically have a driving lesson from the best in the sport,” Lawson added.
The New Zealander also said that Verstappen is a very “real” person and has always remained grounded, regardless of everything he has achieved in Formula 1 and motorsport over the years.
Red Bull tipped for podium contention in Austria as new updates are on the way
Red Bull’s current driver, Isack Hadjar, believes that a podium could be possible at the Austrian Grand Prix. Speaking to GPblog, among others, in Barcelona, the Frenchman commented: “I mean, considering how small the track is, it can either be the same result or better, a podium. So I think we’ll have a seriously stronger car.”
About where the RB22 needs to improve, he added: “The start of the race. And then regarding our car, compared to the rest, I think we’re lacking just high-speed performance, corner entries, everything that’s at higher speed, we’re lacking a bit.”
Who heads to the Austrian Grand Prix smiling and who is under pressure?
Up next on the Formula 1 calendar is the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Last year, Lando Norris beat Oscar Piastri to victory in Spielberg, but the competitive order has changed since then, with Mercedes fielding the strongest car for much of the season so far with the 2026 cars. However, the Silver Arrows may now have a serious challenger in Lewis Hamilton, who secured his first Ferrari victory at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Find out who is smiling, who is under pressure, and check out the full Austrian Grand Prix schedule here!
