Red Bull is having a complicated start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, with balance and performance issues in the first two races, including finishing behind less prestigious teams like Alpine and Haas in the last race, the Chinese GP in Shanghai. In the Eastern race, Max Verstappen had to retire from the race.
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The Milton Keynes team, which debuted its first power unit in partnership with Ford, is currently the fourth fastest team, behind McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. The RB22’s big problem is not the engine, but the car’s balance. Verstappen reported understeer in slow and medium corners, rapid tire wear, and difficulty keeping the car stable at high speed. The four-time champion described to F1TV:
“There is no grip, and I would say that is the biggest problem. Without balance, just losing huge amounts of time in the corners. We changed a lot on the car and it makes no difference at all. Every lap is a survival.”
In Melbourne, Isack Hadjar qualified third but retired from the race, while Verstappen started from 18th position and finished fifth. In China, similar problems were repeated: understeer in long and technical corners, front tire wear, and difficulties at the start, causing Verstappen to finish outside the points in the Sprint. Hadjar completed the race in eighth.
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The problems seem concentrated in the chassis and suspension, which do not interact correctly with the tires, causing wear and instability in all phases of the corners. The lack of downforce on both axles also contributes to understeer in high-speed corners.
Verstappen appeared very unhappy with the current car and Red Bull will face the challenge of returning to the top spots in 2026.
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