Verstappen podium in Austin fuels Red Bull's climb past McLaren

Max Verstappen crossed the line third at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, a result that handed Red Bull third place in the constructors' standings at McLaren's expense.

It was Verstappen's tenth podium of the 2026 campaign and his sixth in a row since his crash at Zandvoort, according to Autosport, though the Dutchman was left unsatisfied by events at the Circuit of the Americas. Autosport reported that his Saturday pace had looked strong enough for pole position, highlighted by an impressive Q2 lap, before he lost grip in a manner he could not fully explain.

Sunday's race told a different story for the team as a whole. Verstappen's third place combined with a sixth-place finish for Isack Hadjar yielded 23 points for Red Bull, reported Yahoo Sports. McLaren could only manage 16, with Lando Norris fifth and Oscar Piastri seventh.

That gap of seven points matched exactly the deficit Red Bull had carried into the weekend, closing the books on a swing that had looked unlikely only a few races earlier.

Both teams now sit level on 355 points, but Red Bull holds third by virtue of the tie-break rules: Verstappen and his team-mates have matched McLaren's tally of two race wins this season, yet Red Bull has more podium finishes overall, which settles the countback in its favour.

The turnaround traces back to the Italian Grand Prix, after which McLaren led the fight for third by as much as 83 points, a margin that appeared to put the position out of reach for Red Bull, per Yahoo Sports.

Verstappen then produced a run of results that reshaped the picture: second place in Azerbaijan followed by victories in Malaysia and Singapore. Across those three rounds Red Bull amassed 102 points to McLaren's 33, cutting the gap to seven points heading into Austin.

McLaren's own slip-ups played a part in that swing. The team took nothing from the sprint weekend in Baku, and a collision between Norris and Piastri during the Singapore sprint cost further ground, Yahoo Sports noted.

Verstappen arrives in the title picture too, his Austin points lifting him to 236 for the season and confirming his status as Red Bull's principal scorer. Hadjar has not been a passenger in the fight for third either: his Austin haul took him to 105 points for the year, with eight of those coming from Sunday's race alongside the 15 added by Verstappen.

McLaren had arrived in Texas with upgrades intended to arrest the slide, including floor modifications and work on the car's braking system, but the changes were not enough to prevent Red Bull outscoring them again on race day.

Mercedes continues to lead the constructors' table on 607 points, with Ferrari second on 474. Red Bull and McLaren remain tied on 355 apiece, while Racing Bulls trails in fifth on 102.

Five rounds remain in the 2026 season, leaving the battle between Red Bull and McLaren for third in the championship unresolved heading into the final stretch.