Max Verstappen Explodes After Red Bull Ignores Plea

Max Verstappen ended the British GP 2026 in fury after crashing out at Stowe, closing a difficult Silverstone weekend for the Red Bull driver.

Verstappen had wanted to start the Grand Prix from the pit lane because of concerns over the engine and set-up of his RB22. However, Red Bull opted not to change the engine or set-up, leaving Verstappen to start from the grid after qualifying only seventh.

His frustration had already surfaced in qualifying, when he complained that the Red Bull Powertrains power unit was not responding normally. He ended the session eight-tenths away from pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli and made clear that racing the car unchanged would leave him with limited prospects.

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“This engine is not responding as normal,” Verstappen told race engineer GianPiero Lambiase.

“If we leave the car the same, there is little point in racing. I prefer to change everything, because if we don’t do anything, we will continue to drive around this place. Or we will fall back one place.”

Red Bull kept the car configuration unchanged, a decision Verstappen did not support. On his way to the grid, he said the explanation for that choice should come from the team because he would have taken a different approach.

“Ask the team why, as I would have done it differently,” Verstappen told Sky Italia.

Red Bull’s decision initially appeared to have some merit as Verstappen gained a place off the line and pressured Isack Hadjar for fifth. But his progress stalled there, while complaints over downshifts and deployment returned over team radio.

“Already for a few laps now, I haven’t said anything, but the downshifts are s***,” Verstappen said on the radio.

“You can’t tell me this deployment is normal!”

Verstappen was running fifth after battling George Russell and Lewis Hamilton when he lost control on Lap 48 of the 52-lap race. Entering Stowe, the rear of the RB22 stepped out and he slid into the gravel, ending his race without points.

“I’m stuck, man. F*** this car, f***ing unbelievable,” Verstappen said on the radio.

The Silverstone DNF was Verstappen’s third non-score of the championship and leaves him seventh in the drivers’ standings on 76 points. He is now 103 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, while Red Bull faces a major review of its decision not to change the car and the RB22’s performance issues before the next round.