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Max Verstappen endured a miserable weekend at the 2026 F1 Chinese Grand Prix, as it became clear that the Red Bull RB22’s lack of downforce is creating a raft of issues.
The 28-year-old was never able to battle with any of his front-running rivals at the Shanghai International Circuit, as Mercedes enjoyed another one-two finish ahead of the Ferrari duo. Verstappen finished the Sprint in P9, and retired from the Chinese GP due to a coolant fault.
Isack Hadjar was the top Red Bull driver in the Chinese GP in P8, but he finished the race an excruciating 87.247s behind the lead as Andrea Kimi Antonelli scored his maiden F1 victory. Verstappen and Hadjar were also 0.938s and 1.057s slower than Antonelli during qualifying.
Even Mercedes boss Toto Wolff branded the Chinese GP a “horror show” for Verstappen, as it was clear after watching the four-time champion’s onboard camera during qualifying that the Red Bull RB22 is “horrendous to drive” as he was constantly fighting the steering wheel.
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Red Bull suffered from an underlying lack of aerodynamic load at the Chinese Grand Prix
Verstappen doubts he will win a race in 2026, too, such were his issues at the Chinese GP last weekend. He claims Red Bull have “so much” to sort out before the team can even start to consider fighting for wins, after he also finished 54.617s shy of the lead in Australia in P6.
READ MORE: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix race report, as Kimi Antonelli scores his first F1 win
A lack of downforce is certainly one of the areas where Red Bull need to improve to be able to see Verstappen and Hadjar compete for more. According to RacingNews365, the Chinese GP has proven that the Red Bull RB22 suffers from an ‘underlying lack of aerodynamic load’.
The Shanghai International Circuit’s combination of long, sweeping corners showed Red Bull that the RB22 struggles with sustained lateral loads and prolonged use of full-throttle, which led to more tyre degradation. But above all, Red Bull struggled with a lack of overall balance.
Red Bull appear to have a ‘nervous aerodynamic platform’, which is causing Verstappen and Hadjar to suffer with an imbalance between front and rear grip – particularly through long-radius corners. Their lack of grip then snowballs, as the extra tyre wear creates more issues.
Red Bull do not seem to know how they can improve the RB22 balance problems
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Red Bull now need to work on improving the fundamental downforce levels of the RB22, as the car in its current set-up does not generate enough downforce to overcome the balance problems that frustrated Verstappen throughout the Chinese GP last weekend in Shanghai.
Verstappen declared that Red Bull have a “big problem” as the RB22’s pace was “a disaster” during qualifying for the F1 Sprint in China. He pointed out how their car’s behaviour in the corners cost him a lot of lap time in SQ3, resulting in the Dutchman qualifying down in P8.
Red Bull’s issues were clear throughout the weekend. And it appeared that Red Bull did not know how to improve their lack of balance (and potentially still do not), as Verstappen’s woe did not improve during qualifying for the Grand Prix as he again only managed to secure P8.
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