Key takeaways
- Qualifying deficit: Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged that the RB22 lacked single-lap pace throughout qualifying at Zandvoort, leaving Max Verstappen in 7th and stand-in driver Liam Lawson in 8th.
- Praises for Lawson: Mekies commended Lawson for ending up just over a tenth behind Verstappen in Q3 after being called up on short notice to replace the injured Isack Hadjar.
- Race pace optimism: Citing encouraging performance during the morning Sprint race, Red Bull remains confident it can challenge for a podium in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies admitted that the squad remains on the back foot regarding single-lap pace following Saturday’s qualifying session at Circuit Zandvoort. Despite the RB22’s lack of raw speed over a single lap, Mekies praised Max Verstappen and late substitute Liam Lawson for maximizing their equipment, while remaining optimistic about Sunday’s race trim.
Both Red Bull entries struggled for pace across the weekend’s two qualifying sessions. Verstappen qualified 7th for Sunday’s main event, while Lawson qualified 8th. Mekies highlighted that extracting peak performance on fresh tires has been Red Bull’s primary bottleneck at the narrow Dutch track.
“In terms of overall pace so far, we have struggled since yesterday to find single-lap speed on this track. We were over half a second behind in Sprint Qualifying, and although we found an improvement today, it wasn’t enough to be truly competitive,” Mekies explained. “Max and Liam did everything they could to extract the maximum from the package at hand. As always, Max fought until the very end, and Liam did a really great job.”
Mekies placed extra emphasis on Lawson’s performance, given his last-minute call-up to step into the senior team after Isack Hadjar suffered a wrist injury during the summer break.
“It is very difficult to jump from one team to another, and finishing just over a tenth behind Max this afternoon is a fantastic result. It’s a great story for him and for the team,” Mekies noted.
Despite starting on the fourth row, Red Bull’s primary encouragement stems from long-run simulations and data gathered during Saturday morning’s Sprint race, where handling balance showed significant improvement relative to the frontrunners.
“We saw in the Sprint this morning that we are in a better place with race setup; we were much closer to the cars ahead. Tomorrow we are going to push hard to fight with them,” Mekies concluded. “I think there are seven or eight cars that can fight for the podium. We know overtaking is difficult here, but we will do everything we can to be right in the middle of that battle.”
Formula 1 action continues at Zandvoort on Sunday for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix. GRANDE PRÊMIO covers all track activities live from Zandvoort with reporter Leonid Kliuev. Follow all paddock updates on our news page.
Session schedule: Dutch Grand Prix 2026
| Session | Local time (CEST) | UTC |
| Race | Sunday, August 23 – 15:00 | 13:00 |
Broadcast guide: Where to watch in the United States
- United States (Eastern Time / ET)
- Broadcaster: Apple TV
- Race: Sunday, August 23 – 09:00 ET
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Where will Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson start the Dutch Grand Prix?
