Max Verstappen loses out as major Red Bull F1 problem emerges

Red Bull

Max Verstappen loses out as major Red Bull F1 problem emerges

Red Bull's weight issues have been persistent in 2026

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 3 June 2026 13:55

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Red Bull F1 team are still struggling with a heavy RB22, a factor that costs Max Verstappen and the team crucial seconds as they chase the dominant Mercedes in 2026.

Team principal Laurent Mekies admitted that taking risks with the setup is necessary to close the gap, though he stressed that engineers at the factory are hard at work to develop long‑term solutions.

Sources close to the team reveal that excess weight is hindering the car’s performance – losing around two-tenths of a second per lap. In effect, the RB22 is estimated to be six to seven kilograms above the minimum weight of 768kg.

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Running its new Red Bull Ford Powertrains for the first time this season, the squad now finds itself just outside the top tier, with four‑time world champion Verstappen holding seventh place in the championship on 43 points. Despite some progress in Miami, a more significant weight reduction is expected for the home race in Austria.

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Red Bull's 2026 challenges

During qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, Verstappen voiced concerns about the car’s handling. Mekies explained that such issues arise partly from the need to compensate for imbalances or a gap to the competition.

“We take risks whenever we feel our car isn’t properly balanced or when we’re not close enough to our rivals,” he noted.

Experimenting with different setups on both cars, the team aims to discover what boosts performance for both qualifying and the race.

Once the gap to Mercedes is closed, the team expects to take fewer risks. This methodical approach also includes rookie Isack Hadjar, as they work to better understand the car’s dynamics and refine their strategy.

Another recurring challenge for Red Bull is tackling kerbs and bumps—a problem that resurfaced in Canada and is likely to be an issue at Monaco as well. Mekies admitted that while the actual act of smoothing out these bumps is relatively straightforward, the real challenge is doing so without sacrificing speed.

“Our engineers are running countless analyses to find a solution that not only resolves the issue but also gains us lap time,” he explained. “It would be simple to fix the problem, but that would slow the car down. We want to eliminate these issues while improving our lap times. It’s a complex challenge, but we thrive on complexity.”

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen