There were signs at Red Bull that suggested the team’s transition into Formula 1’s new era would be less painful than many had anticipated. The way the previous season ended painted the picture of a squad that had managed to overcome its difficulties, finding a credible technical direction under its new leadership. That renewed confidence appeared to provide the perfect foundation for tackling the all-new 2026 regulations.
However, the reality that has emerged over the opening months of the championship tells a very different story.
After nine Grands Prix, the Milton Keynes-based team sits only fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. That statistic alone highlights the scale of Red Bull’s decline. Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren have all adapted far more effectively to Formula 1’s new technical regulations, while the RB22 continues to display fundamental weaknesses that affect its performance throughout virtually every stage of a race weekend.
The concern goes well beyond the championship standings. More worrying is the impression that the car never operates consistently within its ideal performance window. The RB22 has proved unpredictable, unstable and incapable of giving its drivers the confidence they need to attack the limit.
Red Bull: Max Verstappen no longer hides his frustration
When a driver of Max Verstappen’s calibre begins expressing his frustration publicly, it is a clear sign that the team’s problems have reached a critical point. As the season has progressed, the Dutchman’s comments have become increasingly severe.
Following a particularly difficult Sprint qualifying session in China, Verstappen described the RB22 as a car that was almost impossible to understand. It was an unusually harsh assessment that highlighted the gap between Red Bull’s expectations and the reality of the car’s behaviour on track.
The situation has failed to improve in the months since. At Silverstone, the four-time Formula 1 World Champion once again admitted that Red Bull remains well short of the performance level required to fight at the front. The problems encountered through the high-speed corners, combined with the operational difficulties surrounding the rotating rear wing, have only added to an increasingly obvious sense of frustration.
Perhaps the most telling aspect is not any single comment, but how often they have been repeated. When the same issues continue to be raised race after race for several months, it suggests that the solutions introduced so far have not delivered the improvements the team was hoping for.
Laurent Mekies faces his biggest test yet
For Laurent Mekies, the current situation represents the first truly major challenge of his leadership. The encouraging results achieved during the closing stages of the 2025 season helped strengthen his credibility within the organisation and created a sense of optimism around Red Bull’s new technical and managerial direction.
Today, that confidence is gradually beginning to fade. Formula 1 offers very little time to recover, and reputations are inevitably shaped by results. Right now, the standings show a team that has fallen behind the championship’s leading contenders, with Verstappen already out of the title fight and Red Bull still searching for its first victory after nine races.
That is why the coming weeks will be so important. The objective is no longer simply to recover performance or improve the RB22’s behaviour. Something much bigger is at stake: convincing their star driver that Red Bull still has a winning project capable of delivering success in the years ahead.
A team that loses competitiveness can always work to regain it. But once the relationship of trust with its lead driver begins to crack, there is a real danger that a technical crisis could quickly evolve into a far more difficult strategic one.
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