Verstappen ironizes bad phase after crash: "I'm going to Tibet to relax like a Buddha"

Max Verstappen once again showed discomfort with the moment he is experiencing in Formula 1, but used his good humor to comment on the crash in qualifying for the Austrian GP. The Red Bull driver lost control of the car in the final part of the session and ended up in the wall of the Spielberg circuit.

In an interview with the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the four-time champion joked about the sequence of difficulties faced in 2026.

"It's been like this all year. I think I'm going to go to Tibet at the end of the year. I'm just going to go there and completely relax for two months, like a Buddha," he said.

The accident happened on the last attempt at a fast lap. Verstappen passed the curb at turn 9, lost the rear of the car and slid across the gravel until hitting the protective barrier. As a result of the incident, he was left out of contention for pole position and will only start in fifth place.

Before the crash, the Dutchman had already experienced grip problems on another section of the track. According to him, the loss of control happened unexpectedly.

"At Turn 6 I felt a sudden loss of grip on entry. When I got to Turn 9, as soon as I turned the steering wheel, I lost control. It felt like a lack of downforce or a tendency to oversteer. The grip just disappeared," he explained to Sky Sports.

The situation increases Verstappen's frustration in a season marked by criticism of the category's regulations and Red Bull's irregular performance. The driver only occupies seventh position in the championship and has only one podium this year.

In addition to the difficulties on the tracks, the Dutchman even questioned his continued existence in Formula 1 if the new engine division was not approved. The change was confirmed this week.

After Verstappen's crash, George Russell took advantage of the last lap of qualifying to overtake Charles Leclerc and secure pole position. The race management even assessed a possible infraction by the Mercedes driver due to the yellow flag caused by the accident, but decided not to open an investigation.

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Source: CNN