Racing
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Max Verstappen says Red Bull is heading to Monaco with its biggest RB22 weakness still unresolved, as the car continues to struggle over kerbs and rough surfaces on the kind of circuit that punishes both most severely.
Speaking during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal, Verstappen said the problem remains tied to the team’s current car philosophy and the compromise between ride compliance and aerodynamic performance. "Anywhere that it’s bumpy is going to be difficult for us," he said, adding that it comes down to "how you set it up to take the bumps versus the amount of downforce." He admitted the package is still short of where Red Bull wants it to be, saying: "It’s not quite optimal yet."
That matters even more heading to Monaco, where the street circuit’s uneven surface and constant kerb use threaten to magnify the issue. Verstappen pointed to qualifying in Canada as a clear example of how quickly the problem can hurt performance. After attacking the kerbs in the final chicane, he said the effect was immediate. Asked about Monaco, he responded with a joke that carried a clear warning: "Oh yes, that is going to be great. I think I’m going to order a new back!"
The concern is not new. Red Bull has been dealing with the same kerb-and-bump sensitivity for several seasons, including through the current rules cycle, despite previous changes aimed at improving the car’s behavior in those conditions.
Verstappen said the persistence of the issue has been a surprise because the team still has not fully pinned down its root cause. "If only we knew exactly what was causing it. I do have some ideas, and that’s what we’re going to work on now," he said.
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal, told Motorsport.com in Montreal that the team does not believe the weakness is so structural that it must wait for the 2027 car. "There is nothing yet that we are seeing that cannot be fixed in 2026," Mekies said.
He made clear, though, that finding a cure is not as simple as softening the car or removing the trait at any cost. The risk, he said, is solving the problem in a way that leaves the RB22 slower overall. "Because it will probably be quite easy to fix the issues, but make the car slower," Mekies said. "So you want to fix the issues and bring lap time. It's a complex issue."
That leaves Monaco as a test of whether Red Bull can protect its pace while still carrying a weakness Verstappen says limits how hard he can attack the very surfaces that define the weekend, with the broader challenge now centered on whether the team can finally remove that trade-off before 2026 is out.