Red Bull chief admits their ‘biggest issue’ after Max Verstappen struggles at Barcelona Grand Prix

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Red Bull chief Paul Monaghan has spoken about the team’s ‘biggest issue’ amid Max Verstappen’s struggles at the Barcelona Grand Prix.

After last weekend’s chaotic Monaco Grand Prix, the 2026 Formula 1 campaign resumed on Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

In FP1, Mercedes star George Russell went fastest ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc, with Verstappen fourth.

Verstappen then dropped to sixth in FP2, with Lando Norris setting the best time ahead of Russell and Piastri.

Lando Norris pips George Russell by only 0.009s to top the FP2 timesheets in Barcelona 🏆 What’s possible for McLaren this weekend?

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Red Bull chief reveals the team’s ‘biggest issue’ at the Barcelona Grand Prix

Ahead of qualifying on Saturday afternoon, Red Bull chief engineer Monaghan touched on the team’s struggles on Friday.

Monaghan claimed that Red Bull were lacking in balance and grip, but admitted that it did not come as a surprise.

He went on to suspect that Red Bull’s rivals could be facing similar problems and revealed that the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s ‘biggest issue’ will be how they manage the struggles.

As reported by The Race, Monaghan said: “We lack a bit of balance, we lack a bit of grip. None of it should come as a surprise.

“I suspect our opposition are actually very similar. We all are going to encounter similar problems around here.

“It’s a tough, demanding circuit, and it’s really hot. What laptime do we manage whilst incurring those problems is, I think, likely to be the biggest issue we face.”

The report stated that Red Bull appeared to be in ‘no-man’s land’ when it comes to single-lap pace, with Verstappen nearly nine tenths off Norris.

However, the Dutchman’s long-run times were closer to the reigning F1 world champion.

READ MORE: Why Max Verstappen did not discuss Red Bull wanting to extend his contract in meeting with top brass

Speaking after Friday’s sessions, Verstappen also spoke about the lack of balance and grip.

The 28-year-old claimed that he is currently unsure where Red Bull are at and has ruled himself out of contention for pole position.

As per F1’s official website, Verstappen said: “Every time I’ve been following people, there’s no grip. The cars are literally drifting around, and the tyres are not giving any kind of grip.

“From our side, of course, compared to the top guys, we struggled a little bit more with balance, but I think no one had a nice balance out there.”

When asked whether he can challenge for a front row start, Verstappen added: “No, for sure not.

“I don’t know where we are at the moment, I guess. I don’t know what happened with Ferrari, but we have a lot of work to do.”