Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen criticized the new cars and said the Red Bull RB22 and the Ford-backed power unit are not competitive after difficult early 2026 races.
Initial testing in Barcelona looked promising despite lost track time in Barcelona and Bahrain, but the package underperformed in Melbourne where Verstappen crashed in qualifying and started P20 after a battery issue before recovering to sixth.
Isack Hadjar, a Red Bull Racing driver and team newcomer, qualified P3 in Melbourne but later stopped with a power unit issue, and in China Verstappen suffered sluggish starts and power-unit problems that left him ninth in the sprint.
Verstappen had finished 2025 close to a fifth straight championship after Red Bull improved the car, but he does not expect a repeat of last year's recovery given the current RB22 and power unit shortcomings.
Read the full article at roadandtrack.com.
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