Red Bull weight issue cost Max Verstappen ‘two or three tenths’ per lap at Australian Grand Prix

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Despite showcasing an incredible comeback drive from P20 on the grid to sixth-place at the chequered flag, a weight issue with Red Bull’s RB22 cost Max Verstappen somewhere between ‘two or three tenths’ per lap, according to F1 journalist Ralf Bach.

Off the back of his highly publicised critiques of the 2026 F1 regulations, Max Verstappen’s campaign got off to a disastrous start during qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

A crash in qualifying saw Verstappen start from 20th on the grid for the first time since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix.

A first fastest lap of the season for Max Verstappen! Where would he have finished if he started in the top 10?

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His latest Red Bull counterpart, Isack Hadjar, secured a spot on the second row, which offered the Frenchman a head start in the teammate battle over in Milton Keynes, and raised a question mark over what the four-time world champion could have achieved if he had made it to Q3.

In race trim, it became clear that the Dutchman is still a cut above the rest of his rivals on the grid. He quickly carved his way through the field, ending up in P6 at the chequered flag, which led fans to elect Verstappen as the first Driver of the Day for the 2026 term.

• READ MORE: Why the Australian Grand Prix was a success for F1 despite Max Verstappen’s ongoing frustration

Red Bull’s RB22 was 10 kilograms heavier than Mercedes’ W17 at the Australian Grand Prix

As Verstappen approached the frontrunners, namely Lando Norris, his 2025 title rival, in the latter stages of the race, he seemingly hit a plateau in performance as he struggled with dying tyres.

The Briton held on to his P5 in the end, marking the end of an Australian Grand Prix ‘curse’ that had seen all three of the previous winners crash out in the following term.

Due to Verstappen’s back-of-the-grid start and Hadjar’s early retirement, it’s difficult to determine where they currently stack up in reference to Mercedes’ current benchmark.

While the German constructor certainly have an advantage at the moment, F1 journalist Ralf Bach has revealed that Red Bull do have a little bit of time left in their pocket, but they need to find a way of extracting it from the RB22.

In a post-race episode of the F1 Insider podcast, Bach said, “[Red Bull] have done alright, in terms of the engine, considering they’ve really started from scratch. But even with people who already have experience, they’re not doing too badly.

“The chassis is quite okay, but it’s also 10 kilograms overweight compared to Mercedes, from what I’ve heard. 10 kilos is two or three tenths. So if you slim it down in the next three, four or five races, you’ll be two tenths faster just in terms of weight.

“Probably even three. And then you can find a little something else in the engine, and you can tune the car better.”

• READ MORE: Martin Brundle hails Arvid Lindblad for resisting ‘extreme’ Max Verstappen pressure on his F1 debut

Max Verstappen was also struggling with a battery issue during the Australian Grand Prix

The issue of the RB22 being overweight wasn’t the only issue that the Red Bull star was battling against at the very start of the season-opener in Melbourne.

Verstappen also complained about a battery issue as he approached the grid, and ended up bogging down as the lights went out because of it.

It was a big gripe of many drivers, and it was pre-empted into the build-up to the Grand Prix as the grid raised concerns over the safety of drivers upon the drop of the lights.

Liam Lawson narrowly missed being taken out by Franco Colapinto in what George Russell has hailed as the save of the season.

There have been calls for the FIA to make amendments to the starting procedure, but it’s currently unclear whether a change will take place ahead of the next round in China.