Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Max Verstappen has revealed the technical problems that affected his race weekend with Red Bull Racing during the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit. The four-time world champion endured another difficult event as Red Bull struggled to match the pace of its main rivals.
For the first time since 2018, Verstappen has recorded his lowest points tally from the opening two grands prix of a season. After finishing sixth in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the Dutch driver failed to finish in Shanghai due to a technical problem.
Verstappen started the Chinese Grand Prix from eighth on the grid, but immediately lost several positions at the start. A lack of power during the launch phase dropped him down to 16th place during the opening lap.
Although he managed to recover through the field and was running in sixth position, Verstappen’s race ended on lap 45 of the 56-lap event due to an ERS cooling issue. The retirement leaves him eighth in the drivers’ championship standings with eight points, already 43 points behind championship leader George Russell.
Explaining the recurring issues with his starts this season, Verstappen said the lack of battery power has been a major factor affecting the car’s launch performance.
“In Melbourne I had no battery, and here the problem was the same. I just have no power. As soon as I release the clutch, the engine is not there,” Verstappen told media including RacingNews365.
Beyond the start problems, Verstappen also highlighted several performance issues that affected the RB22 throughout the race weekend.
“The start was a big problem, the same as yesterday in the sprint. The rest of the race was also the same as yesterday – a lot of tyre graining. I couldn’t push, the pace was terrible, the balance was terrible. It was just a very bad weekend for us.”
Red Bull’s struggles have been particularly surprising given the strong impression the team created during pre-season testing in Bahrain, where several rivals considered the Milton Keynes-based squad among the early favourites.
However, Verstappen insisted he had already been aware that the team was not as competitive as many believed.
“You guys don’t know. I know. I never saw myself even close to Mercedes or Ferrari, but this weekend has been particularly bad.”
The Dutch driver also admitted it is difficult to accurately judge Red Bull’s position within the competitive order at this stage of the season.
“For me it’s not a surprise that we are not close to Mercedes, Ferrari or McLaren, but this weekend was particularly bad.”
Looking ahead to the next round of the championship in Japan, Verstappen expressed hope that the team can make improvements to its performance in the coming weeks.
“I hope we can be a bit more competitive in Japan. After Japan we have a few extra weeks to try to add performance to the car, but at the same time other teams will also improve.”
“It’s really not where we want to be. Everyone in the team is trying their best and they are as frustrated as I am. Of course we want to be better and hopefully we can be a bit stronger in Japan.”
The difficult start to the 2026 season highlights the challenges Red Bull currently faces as it attempts to close the performance gap to Mercedes and Ferrari in the early phase of the championship.
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