Mekies hails Verstappen for ‘undoubtedly the strongest race’ of the season in Austria A significant upgrade package helped Red Bull fly at their home event in Austria, where Max Verstappen achieved a season-best result of P2. Laurent Mekies shared his excitement at Red Bull’s performance at the Austrian Grand Prix as they took a significant step closer to Mercedes, with the Team Principal praising Max Verstappen for his drive to P2. The Milton Keynes-based outfit brought some of their biggest upgrades of the season so far to their home race, including changes to the floor and rear suspension to target improved performance and reliability. Following some teething issues in Free Practice and a heavy Q3 crash, Verstappen started from P5 on the grid before quickly progressing up the order by dispatching Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes and Charles Leclerc's Ferrari in a single move on Lap 2. He then came out on top in a thrilling battle with Lewis Hamilton and went on to steadily reduce George Russell’s advantage at the front, ultimately taking the chequered flag less than two seconds behind the Briton. Reflecting on the result, Mekies said: “It's a very, very strong race, probably undoubtedly the strongest race we have done this season and, as we discussed after Qualifying, it was visible the progress was there but difficult to put a number on it. “To see us getting so close to the ultimate pace needed to win here on a difficult track in very hot weather is a good witness of how much work went on in Milton Keynes and how strong Max today was really in all phases of the race.” Red Bull took time to find their feet in the new set of regulations and went without a podium until Verstappen claimed P3 at the Canadian Grand