Verstappen desperate to win at least one race

For a man who had dominated Formula 1 for three straight seasons after winning his first title in 2021 in controversial circumstances, it must be quite a humbling experience not to have won a single race this season.

Going into the 2026 Formula 1 season with its new regulations, Verstappen had won 71 races. However, he has not stood on the top step of the podium since last year’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and is in danger of completing a season winless for the first time since he joined Red Bull 10 years ago.

And while he has consistently made the podium in his last few races, the Dutchman has now set himself a target of winning at least one race in what’s left of the 2026 season.

“We are scoring quite a few podiums now, but I want to win. That’s what I’m here for and I’m getting close, but I want to at least win one race this year. So, I hope we can do it at some point,” Verstappen said Thursday ahead of this week’s race, which is branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

“We’re anyway not fighting for the championship, so for us it’s a big learning curve, but the last few weekends have been a lot better (than) at the start of the season.”

Verstappen’s desperate charge against Mercedes’ George Russell on the final straight in Baku last Saturday ended in his fourth runner-up finish in the last eight races. He’s sixth in the standings with barely half of Russell’s teammate and leader Kimi Antonelli’s points tally.

Asked which tracks might suit his chances best, Verstappen said: “You don’t really know because it also depends on what (upgrades) other people are bringing constantly. I don’t really care, to be honest. As long as I win one that would be nice.”

The 29-year-old Red Bull driver, however, warned that high tyre wear may hamper his bid to convert Red Bull's late-season surge into a first win at Sepang.

"I always enjoyed racing here because I think I really liked the track layout, but it's not straightforward because there's always such high degradation – and it's hot in general, so quite uncomfortable physically."

The Dutch racer said Red Bull excelled in Baku because of the track's unique characteristics, including 90-degree corners and long straights, for which the team brought a lot of new parts.

But the flowing Sepang circuit will likely be more suited to Ferrari and McLaren, as well as Mercedes.

"We'll learn a lot now, in these coming races, what we need, what we want to do with the car for next year," Verstappen said.

"Every weekend now, we'll try and do our best and we'll see where that leads us."