Red Bull Racing admitted to significant failures at the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The team’s technical director, Pierre Waché, even apologized for the problem that limited the car’s performance in the early stages.
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The RB22 was not competitive in the first three races, staying far from the fight for the top positions. The situation only began to change at the Miami GP, after a five-week break in the calendar.
According to Waché, the main challenge was to identify the source of the problem before fixing it: “First, we needed to be sure there was a problem. Then, identify where it came from, and that takes time. And then, fix it,” he explained. He acknowledged the delay: “I apologize for not having solved it earlier. We tried several things that didn’t work.”
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The solution came with an upgrade package that included a complete replacement of the steering rack, identified as the root of the failure. The adjustment brought immediate improvement in driving, something noticed by Max Verstappen, who highlighted a more positive feeling behind the wheel and managed to start from the front row in Miami.
Waché also revealed that the team had already identified the problem before the April break but only managed to produce the parts in time for the United States round: “The break gave us time to manufacture the components. Without that, we wouldn’t have had the parts in Bahrain and Jeddah,” he concluded, praising the engineering team’s work in solving the issue.
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