Max Verstappen says Red Bull steadies its 2026 campaign after early handling and downforce weaknesses. Father Jos shares the frustration. Upgrades deliver Malaysia victory and first Red Bull‑Ford Powertrains success.

Red Bull’s RB22 suffers entry instability, mid‑corner understeer, and a downforce deficit early on. Tyre degradation escalates, compromising stint length and race pace despite flashes of qualifying speed.

Jos Verstappen remains a regular presence, though not at every round. His perspective mirrors Max’s cockpit frustration, offering forthright feedback shaped by years of mentoring through karting and junior racing.

The new Red Bull‑Ford power unit complicates chassis balance, demanding refinement of deployment and weight distribution. That interaction magnifies the RB22’s weaknesses on corner entry and across long stints.

Red Bull responds quickly. Mechanical fixes arrive before the summer break, followed by aerodynamic steps in Miami and Austria. Those changes stabilise phases and claw back medium‑ and high‑speed performance.

A major Baku package then closes the remaining deficit in faster corners. Verstappen dominates Malaysia, controlling from lights to flag, and converts progress into his first victory of the season.

Verstappen credits collective resolve. He says the team stays aligned through the slump, sustaining energy at the factory and track. That cohesion underpins development discipline and improves upgrade‑to‑lap‑time correlation.

Jos’s behind‑the‑scenes involvement remains strong. Father and son speak regularly when schedules align, and his technical instincts continue to shape Max’s approach to setup compromise and race execution.

With performance restored, Red Bull targets consistent front‑running. Upcoming events, including Singapore, present opportunities to extend momentum and pursue its ongoing win challenge and the programme’s broader next F1 goal.

Early form includes a Bahrain victory, achieved despite the car’s limitations, underscoring Verstappen’s execution under pressure and highlighting development priorities identified then and since that opening win.

As the development race accelerates, Red Bull’s ambition stays explicit, with Verstappen expecting incremental gains to preserve competitiveness and support the team’s stated ambition through the season’s demanding run‑in.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.