Max Verstappen reveals Red Bull setup dispute

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen reveals Red Bull setup dispute

By Sheona Mountford.

Wednesday 27 May 2026 23:00

Max Verstappen admitted there were differences of opinion within Red Bull following a frustrating qualifying performance at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Red Bull once again struggled to match the pace of rivals McLaren and Ferrari in Montreal, with Verstappen qualifying sixth on the grid while teammate Isack Hadjar secured seventh.

After the session, Verstappen told reporters he was unhappy with the car’s balance, citing problems with grip, straight-line speed, and the setup direction chosen by the team throughout the weekend.

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The same changes were not made to team-mate Hadjar's car, however, and Verstappen discussed how unhappy he was with the changes to his own car.

Verstappen and Red Bull disagree

“I’ve pointed it out so many times already, but sometimes you just have to let them feel for themselves that it doesn’t work.”

“Of course they listen to me very often, but not this time, because they were convinced that it was going to work.”

Verstappen further elaborated on why a different choice was made between his and Hadjar's car, and added: “That’s because they wanted to try it with me, that has been the case for years. A driver can also say, ‘Just leave it as it is because it already feels reasonably okay,’ but for me it didn’t feel okay beforehand and it still doesn’t. I’m not easily satisfied with a car. I want to fight for victory, not for seventh place.”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? The whole qualifying session was going nowhere. I always stay reasonably calm about it, but hopefully now they know that it doesn’t work.”

When asked if this won't happen during other race weekends, Verstappen responded: "Yeah, I think that’s pretty clear.”

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Isack Hadjar