Formula 1 experienced a news cycle this Monday divided between the Red Bull crisis after the Chinese GP and the impact of F1 – The Movie at the Oscars. At F1Mania.net, the day was marked by new harsh statements from Max Verstappen about the team’s start to the season, in addition to the Best Sound award for the feature film starring Brad Pitt and produced with the participation of Lewis Hamilton. 
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On the sporting side, Verstappen appeared at the center of attention for different reasons. One of the main publications of the day brought the Dutchman’s explanation for the problems in Red Bull’s starts in 2026. According to the driver, the difficulty is a direct consequence of the lack of energy at the moment he releases the clutch, something he said he had already felt in Melbourne and which once again compromised his performance in Shanghai. 
The tone of the criticism became even stronger in another article published throughout the day. Verstappen once again attacked the behavior of the RB22, complaining about the lack of grip, the car’s imbalance, and the feeling that every lap has been a struggle to survive on the track. F1Mania.net also highlighted that Red Bull, at this moment, appears behind Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, experiencing a much more difficult start to the championship than expected. 
The impact of the four-time champion’s words also generated a reaction outside the team. Ralf Schumacher criticized Verstappen’s stance after the race in China and stated that, more than complaining, the driver should help Red Bull get through this complicated moment. Along the same lines, another publication on the site showed that the Dutchman’s criticism of the current regulations gained support from Gary Anderson, who considered current F1 “fundamentally flawed” and suggested important adjustments to the rules, especially in the use of electrical energy. 
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Off the track, the highlight was F1 – The Movie. The feature film won the Oscar for Best Sound at the 98th edition of the awards and ended the awards season with a statuette. F1Mania.net recalled that the film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, stars Brad Pitt and has Lewis Hamilton as executive producer, in addition to having been filmed during Formula 1 weekends to enhance the production’s realism. 
Hamilton, in fact, was also mentioned directly on the Oscar stage. Juan Peralta, one of the professionals from the film’s sound team, thanked the seven-time champion by name during the award acceptance speech, in addition to mentioning Formula 1 itself and the others involved in the project. Thus, the day at F1Mania.net ended by mixing sporting tension, debate about the technical future of the category, and a moment of Hollywood prestige linked to the F1 universe. 
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