Verstappen’s unseen Silverstone team radio messages emerge: he had predicted Red Bull’s disaster
Max Verstappen did not lose his temper only after his accident at Stowe. His 2026 Formula 1 British Grand Prix turned into a race filled with constant frustration, as revealed by team radio messages that Formula 1’s international TV broadcast chose not to air. The conversations paint a far clearer picture than the final classification ever could, exposing the depth of Red Bull’s struggles through a series of increasingly angry exchanges with the pit wall.
More than his emotional outburst after the crash—which could at least be partly explained by the circumstances—it is everything that happened beforehand that truly illustrates the situation. The Dutchman had already realised very early in the race that his RB22 was not performing properly and repeatedly warned the team from inside the cockpit.
The first alarm came on lap six.
“The deployment is really poor.”
Just one lap later, his tone became noticeably harsher.
“You can’t tell me this deployment is normal,” he complained, clearly referring to the car’s energy management, engine response and the lack of performance that left him unable to defend himself on Silverstone’s long straights.
Shortly afterwards another issue emerged.
“Too much understeer, even through the high-speed corners.”
It was another indication that the Red Bull was not only lacking pace, but was also failing to give Verstappen the confidence he needed in Silverstone’s fast sections. His race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, tried to guide him by suggesting differential changes, but Verstappen dismissed the idea.
“I can’t, mate. The car is far too unbalanced.”
Verstappen had already warned Red Bull: “We should have done what I said”
The most significant message came on lap 10, when Verstappen linked the race’s problems to discussions that had already taken place after qualifying.
“We should have done what I said yesterday.”
He was referring to his request to make changes to the car, even if it meant starting the race from the pit lane. Red Bull chose not to take that route, but during the Grand Prix Verstappen watched exactly the scenario he had feared unfold before his eyes.
The exchanges became increasingly tense. On lap 11, he turned his attention to another issue.
“I haven’t said anything for a few laps, but the downshifts are terrible.”
Then, on lap 22, his frustration over the power unit boiled over once again.
“Mate, the engine again! No response! And now the whole battery is dead. F***!”
He followed it with another blunt assessment.
“We’re losing so much time every time because of this s***.”
Even the hard tyres failed to solve the problem
The switch to the hard compound brought no improvement. The four-time world champion reported that he simply had no grip.
“It’s horrible,” was his brief but telling verdict.
Later, when the pit wall suggested using teammate Isack Hadjar’s pace as a reference, Verstappen exploded once more.
“I’m trying to fight the cars around me. That’s my reference.”
In other words, his concern was not beating the other Red Bull, but simply surviving against the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers surrounding him.
The final moments before the Stowe crash
The closing stages of Verstappen’s race perfectly captured the chaos inside the Red Bull garage. On lap 46, shortly before the accident, he first complained about backmarkers before asking another worrying question.
“Are these cut-outs normal?”
He was referring to sudden interruptions in the engine’s power delivery and acceleration.
Moments later, his Red Bull slid into the gravel at Stowe after suffering a rear wing failure. Lambiase, who had been updating him on Lewis Hamilton’s lap times, immediately stopped relaying information to ask a simple question.
“Are you okay?”
Verstappen’s reply was immediate and brutally honest.
“I’m stuck. Mate, f*** this car. F*** it! It’s unbelievable! F*** it.”
The Dutchman’s afternoon ended with another pointless finish, pushing him even further away from the positions he believes he should be fighting for. Officially, he was classified near the back of the field, but the real damage for Red Bull may lie elsewhere. These previously unaired team radio messages reveal a driver who feels he is not being listened to, an almost impossible car to drive, and a technical rift that appears to have been growing behind the scenes for some time before finally becoming impossible to hide at Silverstone.
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