Max Verstappen has pointed out that Red Bull Racing’s main focus for the second half of the 2026 Formula 1® season is addressing the car’s performance degradation during race weekends. Speaking during the summer break, Verstappen described the first half of the year as challenging, with the team working hard to reduce the gap to the championship leader but still facing significant issues.
At the break, Verstappen was 110 points behind Kimi Antonelli, who leads the championship. The Red Bull car began the season with a notable performance deficit, mainly due to chassis problems and excess weight, despite having a competitive power unit. Over the course of the first half, the team managed to cut the lap time deficit from over 1.3 seconds to around two tenths per lap, showing progress but acknowledging that more work is needed.
The key issue highlighted by Verstappen is the car’s degradation in performance over the course of a race weekend. This includes a drop in competitiveness not only between sessions but also within races themselves. Both Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar have reported difficulties with corner entry instability and mid-corner understeer, which affect the car’s balance and handling.
Red Bull’s technical director Pierre Wache confirmed these weaknesses and explained that mechanical adjustments are currently used to help mitigate the issues. The team has made strides in improving driver feedback and steering feel since the start of the season, but the underlying problems with car stability remain a concern.
Verstappen stressed that finding more overall performance and solving the weekend performance loss are urgent priorities for Red Bull. While the team has made progress, the focus now is on achieving more consistent and solid race weekends to close the gap to the front.
This assessment reflects Red Bull’s current situation as they look to the remainder of the 2026 season. The challenges with chassis and handling underline the complexity of maintaining competitive race pace throughout a weekend, even with a strong power unit. Verstappen’s comments highlight the technical and performance areas that the team is concentrating on as they aim to improve their results.