Despite the clear progress made during the season, Red Bull’s start problems remain one of the team’s main weaknesses. The issue involves several areas of the car, from the power unit to the clutch, and Laurent Mekies believes further progress will require hardware changes that can only be introduced with the 2027 project.
Race starts have caused Red Bull particular difficulty this year. At Austin, neither Max Verstappen nor Isack Hadjar produced an especially convincing launch despite starting from opposite sides of the grid. For Isack Hadjar, the poor getaway cost him two positions to the Ferraris, while Max Verstappen lost an opportunity to put Andrea Kimi Antonelli under pressure.
Why Red Bull’s start problems cannot be fully fixed before 2027
Earlier in the season, it was not unusual to see the two Red Bull drivers, as well as the Racing Bulls cars, lose ground in the opening metres and potentially undo the work of a strong qualifying session. As Mercedes has also done, Red Bull’s engineers have worked to improve this area, but taking another significant step will require waiting until 2027 because the problem is more complex than it might initially appear.
“The issue of starts is a more complex problem to solve, in the sense that start performance involves practically every department in the company, with the exception of aerodynamics,” Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies explained after the Austin weekend. At Singapore, for example, there had also been concern that pole position could be lost at the start, potentially undoing everything achieved on Saturday.
In reality, the launch at Marina Bay was not perfect either, although the cause was different from that seen at other Grands Prix. That illustrates how multidimensional the issue is rather than being confined to one specific area. “The engine, gearbox, clutch and other aspects all come into play. From the beginning of the season, we have seen that we are not the benchmark at the start,” Laurent Mekies added.
Red Bull has made progress but still lacks consistency
In the meantime, the car itself has improved to the point where it now appears to have established itself among the leading machines capable of fighting for podiums. That reflects the quality of Red Bull’s development work after beginning the year much further behind, having chosen to invest significant resources in the 2025 world championship battle. Now that the car is more competitive, however, losing positions at the start carries an even greater cost.
The danger is being forced to chase rivals in dirty air and having to take greater risks. Ferrari has faced a similar consequence for different reasons, more often because of qualifying performance than its starts, while a strong launch can significantly simplify the rest of a Grand Prix.
“Although we have managed to reduce the gap, and you will remember how difficult our starts were at the beginning of the year, we are still not the benchmark,” Laurent Mekies said.
“On the one hand, I’m confident that between now and the end of the season we will continue to reduce the gap, because at every race we learn something and find small ways to get closer. On the other hand, I know equally well that we will not become the benchmark before the end of the year: significant changes to the project and hardware changes will be required, aspects that we will only see next season.”
The improvements compared with the opening races confirm the progress made through software changes and revised procedures. However, Laurent Mekies’ final point is the most significant: Red Bull will have to wait until next year to make the hardware changes required for another major step forward. That does not mean every Red Bull start is now poor, but consistency remains a problem.
Red Bull clutch is too sensitive to temperature changes
There have been occasions when the drivers from Milton Keynes or Faenza have produced excellent launches, while at other races they have lost positions. What is missing is repeatability because, even when the correct procedures are followed, the operating window remains extremely narrow.
Part of the difficulty comes from bringing the turbo to the correct level of load. With the current cars, getting the turbo into the right operating window before the start is particularly difficult.
According to Isack Hadjar, part of the problem also lies with the clutch, which is excessively sensitive both to small variations in the way it is used and to temperature. “The clutch needs a design review. At the moment it is too delicate and particularly suffers from temperature management. It’s a nightmare.”
How the 2026 regulations have made race-start management harder
The situation is partly connected to the regulatory changes themselves. Without the MGU-H supplying energy to the turbo and increasing its rotational speed while the car is stationary, generating the required pressure while sitting on the grid is difficult. This led the FIA to allow an additional five seconds, giving the system more time to reach the correct operating window.
However, the longer procedure introduces another variable. To bring the turbo into the correct operating range, drivers spend more time stationary on the grid with the engine running at high revs before the start, making temperature and clutch management even more delicate.
This helps explain why Red Bull’s difficulties cannot be traced to one component alone. As Laurent Mekies explained, the team will have to wait until 2027 before introducing the hardware modifications required to improve the interaction between the clutch, gearbox and turbo.
Related Red Bull and Austin F1 news
- Max Verstappen reveals Red Bull engine issues after frustrating Austin podium
- Max Verstappen demands answers from Red Bull after the United States Grand Prix
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli closes in on the F1 title after crucial Austin win
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