verstappen racing: what Max Verstappen is actually racing right now
Formula1.com’s live championship state dated 2026-07-23 13:00 UTC lists Max Verstappen seventh in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ standings on 91 points with 0 wins, while Red Bull is fourth in the constructors’ table on 151 points with 0 wins. The same live state shows the next race is the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring in Budapest on 2026-07-26 at 13:00:00Z.
That is one front of verstappen racing right now. The other is endurance: Verstappen has also said he plans to return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours after reliability cost his team a chance at victory.
Where Verstappen stands in F1 before Hungary
Formula1.com’s live championship state puts the scale of Verstappen’s season in context. Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads on 204 points with 6 wins, Lewis Hamilton is second on 159, and George Russell is third on 154.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2026 driver standing | 7th |
| Points | 91 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Red Bull constructor standing | 4th |
| Red Bull points | 151 |
| Next race | Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring, Budapest, 2026-07-26 13:00:00Z |
| Championship leader benchmark | Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 204 points, 6 wins |
| Pos | Driver | Pts | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 204 | 6 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 159 | 0 |
| 3 | George Russell | 154 | 0 |
| 7 | Max Verstappen | 91 | 0 |
That leaves Verstappen 113 points behind Antonelli in Formula1.com’s live state dated 2026-07-23 13:00 UTC. He is also one point behind Oscar Piastri, which shows he is much closer to sixth than first, while Red Bull’s fourth place on 151 points means the team is still chasing from behind.
Austria offered a better read on pace
Austria was the clearest recent sign that the picture is not static. Verstappen reflected on an “extremely positive” Austrian Grand Prix after finishing on the heels of race winner George Russell, and he had hoped Red Bull’s “new package” would put the team in contention for a strong performance on home soil.
Taken together, those Austria comments show Verstappen and Red Bull saw the weekend as evidence that the new package moved them closer to the front. Hungary is the next check on whether Austria’s pace carries over on 2026-07-26.
Why Nürburgring still matters to his 2026 racing picture
Laurent Mekies has admitted there is uncertainty over Verstappen’s future with Red Bull, but that sits in the background here. The point now is simpler: Verstappen is still racing in Formula 1 and still racing outside it.
That is why the Nürburgring return plan matters. Verstappen plans to go back to the Nürburgring 24 Hours after reliability denied his team a shot at victory, and he described the stint this way: “My stint was good. Back in the daylight, I was trying to keep it safe while, of course maintaining a decent pace.”
That quote fits the broader picture. Verstappen’s 2026 story is not only about a difficult F1 campaign with Red Bull, but also about a driver keeping an endurance lane open while Hungary becomes the next F1 benchmark.