Formula 1 News: Red Bull’s only chance to retain Verstappen rides on Austria upgrade

Red Bull is set to introduce its biggest upgrade package of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, with insiders describing it as more significant than the update debuted in Miami. The team has reportedly succeeded in bringing the RB22 down to the minimum weight limit after running overweight all season, as Max Verstappen sits seventh in the drivers' championship and has publicly questioned the car's competitiveness. The upgrade is seen as critical to retaining Verstappen, who holds performance-related exit clauses in his contract, with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve warning that Red Bull 'absolutely' cannot afford to lose him.