Max Verstappen has declared his intention to win at least one race before the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season, speaking to media ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, with Red Bull currently fourth in the Teams’ Championship.

The four-time World Champion came closest to ending his 2026 victory drought in Azerbaijan, where he crossed the line less than two tenths of a second behind race winner George Russell. Teammate Isack Hadjar completed a 2-3 result for the Milton Keynes-based outfit, a result Verstappen described as evidence of genuine progress.

“Unfortunately, we’re not outscoring Mercedes,” Verstappen said. “They’re actually the fastest ones, or at least they were for most of the season. But yeah, I’m trying everything I can. 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 at least to win one race this year, so I hope we can do it of course at some point. We have some solid results.”

Verstappen noted that updates fitted to the car in Baku had performed well, though he acknowledged the Azerbaijani street circuit has historically suited Red Bull’s package. With Mercedes expected to bring a further upgrade to Bahrain, the 29-year-old was candid about the scale of the challenge ahead.

“I mean, normally, if you bring an upgrade, it should go faster, so with them already being at the pace that they are, it will probably be very tricky,” he said. “But yeah, it doesn’t matter. Every single weekend, we’ll try and do our best.”

Verstappen framed the remaining rounds of the season as a development opportunity rather than a championship fight, suggesting the data gathered across different circuit types will inform Red Bull’s 2027 preparations. “We’re anyway not fighting for the championship, so for us it’s a big learning curve,” he said. “But of course the last few weekends have been a lot better than at the start of the season.”

The Dutchman holds a personal connection to the Sepang circuit, having taken the last Formula 1 victory held there in 2017. “I always enjoyed racing here because I think I really liked the track layout,” he said, noting the physical demands of the hot and high-degradation venue.