Buemi: Red Bull's Austrian upgrade a 'game-changer,' but development war intensifies

Sébastien Buemi says Red Bull's major Austrian Grand Prix upgrade would have been a "game-changer" had the RB22 started the season in its current specification. The simulator driver believes Max Verstappen had a race-winning package at the Red Bull Ring before a qualifying crash compromised his afternoon.

Why it matters:

After falling 98 points behind Kimi Antonelli early in the year, Red Bull's Austrian GP pace marked the first time Verstappen could genuinely match Mercedes this season. With 2026 being the first year of new power unit regulations, Buemi's comments underline that raw improvement counts for little if rival teams develop faster.

The details:

• Buemi said Verstappen was "fast enough to win" in Spielberg, noting that a front-row start would have avoided the costly battle with Lewis Hamilton from fifth on the grid.
• While the upgrades delivered gains in weight and aerodynamics, Buemi stressed that relative progress matters more than absolute gains when every team is bringing updates.
• He highlighted the brutal math of the development war: a four-tenth gain still leaves Red Bull worse off if rivals find five tenths over the same period.

What's next:

Red Bull must sustain this development rate through the upcoming European rounds to close the gap to Antonelli and convert podium pace into consistent victories. The next races will reveal whether Spielberg signaled a genuine revival or merely a temporary high point in an unforgiving development battle.