Max Verstappen expressed his deep dissatisfaction with Red Bull's performance at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix in Austin, describing the weekend as merely average. Starting from second on the grid after encountering a significant performance drop on new tyres during qualifying, the Dutchman ultimately had to settle for a third-place finish.
When the lights went out, Verstappen was powerless to challenge polesitter and eventual race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Instead of fighting for the victory, he was immediately forced into a defensive battle to fend off relentless attacks from the Ferrari chargers right behind him.
A two-stop strategy briefly elevated him back into second place, but a late charge from Charles Leclerc saw him lose the position, leaving Verstappen to claim the final step of the podium at COTA.
Speaking to media outlets including Motorsport Week, Verstappen vented his frustrations regarding the still-evolving RB22 package. He pointed out critical errors in tyre compound selection and compounding power unit inconsistencies as the main culprits behind their subdued pace.
"Pretty frustrating, to be honest," Verstappen stated. "Yeah, just not a really good race for us. In hindsight, of course, it’s very easy to say, but for whatever reason, the softer compounds today were not really working that well."
He explained that the team stuck too rigidly to their beliefs from the previous two rounds where softer compounds prevailed, failing to react to the superior grip found on harder compounds during the race. Furthermore, power unit erratic behavior heavily disrupted his rhythm.
"Plus, yeah, also besides that, too many issues with the power unit, where it was just very inconsistent behaviour around the corners, every lap, every corner, different behaviour. So, you can’t build up a rhythm, you can’t build any kind of consistency in the car," he added.
Despite arriving in Texas fresh off back-to-back victories in Malaysia and Singapore, the fluctuating undulations of the Austin circuit exposed inherent weaknesses in the Red Bull challenger. Read our in-depth analysis of the 2026 F1 season and check the latest championship standings here.
Baca Juga
Simak analisis mendalam hasil F1 GP Amerika Serikat 2026, dominasi Kimi Antonelli menuju gelar juara dunia, dan keterpurukan George Russell di sini.
Max Verstappen sebut Red Bull tampil rata-rata di F1 GP AS 2026 akibat masalah ban dan power unit. Baca analisis mendalam selengkapnya di sini.
Kimi Antonelli amankan kemenangan dominan di GP Amerika 2026 atasi tekanan Verstappen. Simak ulasan lengkap dan jalannya strategi lomba di sini.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!