Red Bull disappointed in the second race of the season: the RB22 is unstable and plagued with reliability problems. Max Verstappen’s frustration continues to grow and is on the verge of boiling over.
Early signs of trouble for Red Bull
We are only at the second race under the new regulations, yet the atmosphere at Red Bull is far from ideal. At the track where the Austrian team celebrated its historic first win, neither driver was able to shine.
Looking at the current Constructors’ Championship standings, the scenario is worrying. The Milton Keynes team finds itself with the same points as a humble VCARB team, which, despite a much smaller budget compared to the factory teams, has interpreted the new technical rules correctly and established itself as one of the strongest mid-field squads.
Inside Red Bull, Pierre Waché and his team of engineers are grappling with an RB22 that has failed to meet the high expectations of a team accustomed to fighting for top positions. More importantly, Max Verstappen, a four-time world champion, has had to manage a platform that he describes as unstable and lacking grip.
ERS issues add to Red Bull’s nightmare
The situation worsened with Verstappen’s retirement due to an ERS (Energy Recovery System) cooling problem. Beyond the technical shortcomings of an RB22 that struggled to adapt to the Chinese circuit, the power unit—normally Verstappen’s strongest element—also failed him.
Verstappen’s nightmare begins at the start
Once again, the four-time world champion stalled on the start, losing multiple positions. Even Isack Hadjar had faced the same issue in the previous race. Clearly, the RB22 is unable to store enough energy to manage the critical start phase.
“Once the clutch is released, the engine doesn’t respond. I have no usable power,” the Dutch driver explained. Consequently, Max’s race began uphill. Midway through, he had to battle with the two Haas and Alpine cars, but his Chinese GP ended prematurely due to retirement.
He then expressed his frustration toward fans defending this new Formula 1. In his view, those who enjoy these races have no idea what real racing is about.
“It’s not fun at all. It’s like playing Mario Kart. You overtake at full speed, then your battery runs out on the next straight, and you get overtaken again. To me, it’s ridiculous.”
The only hope for Max and his team is that the extended break—after the Bahrain and Jeddah GPs were removed from the calendar—will give Mekies and Waché time to find a solution.
Laurent Mekies sees the future with caution
The French team principal admitted it would have been naive not to expect reliability problems. While that is understandable, a team like Red Bull cannot fail to design a competitive car in terms of aerodynamics and chassis.
“Setting aside the power unit issue, our package showed some significant performance gaps. The cancellation of the April races will give all of us a chance to catch our breath and work hard in Milton Keynes,” Mekies explained.
RB22 struggles highlight deeper issues
Yet there is one scenario that should truly worry Red Bull engineers. Despite the Safety Car, the only RB22 to finish—Isack Hadjar’s P8—was about 85 seconds behind the winner. This suggests that under normal conditions, Isack Hadjar would likely have been lapped.
Beyond the numbers and technical challenges, what emerges from this start to the season is primarily the sense of disorientation within a team that until recently was the absolute benchmark in Formula 1.
Seeing Red Bull struggling in mid-field traffic, far from the front, and chasing cars on paper far less equipped, paints a picture of a team that has suddenly become fragile.
The calendar break as a crucial development window
The forced calendar break is more than just a pause; it will be a critical period to determine whether Red Bull can react to one of the biggest technical disappointments in recent years.
The upcoming weeks will determine if Milton Keynes can reinvent the RB22 or if the 2026 season is destined to remain a struggle for the former champions. As the technical teams head back to the drawing board, the pressure to deliver a stable platform for Verstappen has never been higher.
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