Max Verstappen has long complained about the degrading performance of his Red Bull car over the course of a session or weekend. Those complaints are not just talk, as the team admits there is a real problem that cannot be fixed anytime soon.
After a spin in qualifying in Hungary, Verstappen described his car as "degrading." He even called the RB22 "a car made of paper" during qualifying at Monza. Those sharp comments show the four-time world champion's frustration with his car's performance.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged that Verstappen's complaints stem from a very real and complex issue. "I think Max is right that there is an element of car performance degradation happening through a session and through a race," Mekies said after the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
Mekies added that the issue is not new and the team has been trying to tackle it in various ways. "We are not sleeping on it. I consider it a complex issue. Otherwise, we would get to the bottom of it," he explained.
Furthermore, Mekies admitted there is no quick fix. He expects the issue to continue into the 2027 season before it is fully resolved. "We had a couple of positive steps this weekend. It will never be the full picture, but we have made progress in our understanding," he added.
Nevertheless, Mekies stressed that his team is on the right track. "We don't have all the solutions on the car yet, but I trust we are in the right way. It will not be fast, so it's something that will probably take us through next year," he concluded.
With this situation, Max Verstappen and Red Bull must be patient. While rivals continue to develop their cars, Red Bull must work hard to overcome the weaknesses that have hampered their performance throughout the season.
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