Max Verstappen continues to have "no confidence" in his Red Bull car this year. The team's technical director Pierre Wache conceded that is still the feedback they get from Verstappen and Isack Hadjar after each session on track as problems continue to plague the RB22.
Red Bull's winless streak
Red Bull have won multiple Grands Prix in every F1 season since 2016, but they are yet to get off the mark so far in 2026. Verstappen has four podiums to his name with a best result of second place in Austria and also last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix, just before the summer break.
But even in Budapest, Verstappen complained regularly about how his car felt over the course of the weekend. His lack of confidence behind the wheel also stems from a string of spins he has suffered, including a couple of crashes, caused by a failure on his rear wing active aero flap to properly close when going from a high-speed straight into a corner.
Verstappen's complaints
After qualifying in Hungary, Verstappen said he felt like the car was getting worse over the course of a session. He said: "Instead of the tyres degrading, the car is degrading, then you have a big problem. The car just kept getting worse and worse, lap after lap. So the more laps I did, it was just more and more difficult to put a lap together." He also made it clear it was not the first time this year that the car had felt like that.
Mercedes have dominated the season so far but Ferrari and now McLaren have made significant strides and won Grands Prix, while Red Bull continues to struggle to make such meaningful progress.
Wache's assessment
"We fought until the end and, like the other team, McLaren, I think we are a little bit behind, both of us, based on what we did last year," said Wache. "The other competitors have improved a lot since Monaco. With this new car, you see a different problem every time you go to the track, when you put the car on the ground. We try to maximise it, but no confidence."
Wache is happy with the progress made, but knows Red Bull are still some way off their targets which is not an ideal position to be in when Verstappen has yet to signal a firm commitment to sticking with the team for 2027. He added: "I think the main aspect is that we started behind and, for sure, we have progressed. I think it's a very good job from the team to progress and to arrive where we are. We still aren't where we would like to be, but you try to do your best, try to understand what is not working and what you can do better, and after that you see where you are. But the main thing is that the progress was interesting as a team."
