Red Bull Racing’s complicated start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has considerably limited Max Verstappen’s performance, according to Helmut Marko. The team’s former consultant stated that the Dutchman will only be able to make a difference when he has a car he fully trusts.
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The team is facing difficulties with the new power unit regulations, as it has started producing all components in-house for the first time, through Red Bull Powertrains-Ford. The start of the season was marked by technical problems and lower-than-expected performance, directly affecting the results.
The main highlight so far was Isack Hadjar’s third-place qualifying on the starting grid for the Australian GP. Meanwhile, the team suffered significant setbacks, including a car problem that led Verstappen to crash during the qualifying session in Melbourne, in addition to Hadjar’s retirement from the race due to an engine failure.
In the following round in China, the problems continued when Verstappen retired from the race due to a failure in the ERS cooling system. At the Japanese GP, even with an initial update package, both drivers faced performance difficulties, frustrating the team’s expectations.
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Marko stated that the updates introduced did not have the expected effect: “The positive is that the start in Melbourne was quite good, with Isack Hadjar’s third place in the qualifying session. But the updates, especially those in Japan, took the car in the wrong direction. It got worse,” he told APA.
Despite the complicated start, the former executive believes the situation could improve with the arrival of the European races: “Throughout the European season, it can be assumed that Red Bull will return to competing at the front,” Marko stated, showing confidence in a recovery.
Historically, Verstappen has already achieved good results even with less competitive cars, as happened in the first half of last season. However, according to Marko, this has not been possible in 2026 due to the driver’s lack of confidence in the RB22: “The Max factor only exists when he has a car he trusts. That is not the case at the moment,” he added.
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