Red Bull to make major change for Japanese Grand Prix
Red Bull are set to implement changes to the RB22 at the Japanese Grand Prix after a disappointing start to the 2026 F1 campaign.
Despite almost securing a fifth consecutive Drivers’ Championship in 2025, Red Bull and driver Max Verstappen have endured a torrid start to the current F1 season.
The four-time world champion managed to secure eight points, finishing sixth in the season opener in Australia, while team-mate Isack Hadjar was forced to withdraw.
At the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, the Milton Keynes team did not fare much better, with Hadjar finishing eighth to earn four points, while Verstappen did not finish after retiring with 10 laps to go.
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Following the Chinese race, a “frustrated” Verstappen claimed that Red Bull have “a lot to learn” from the weekend before explaining that tyre degradation was a “problem”.
Engine reliability has also been an issue for both drivers, resulting in the team’s lowest points tally after two Grands Prix in over a decade.
“That always makes it very complicated, and then we had to retire the car with ERS [Energy Recovery System] cooling issues,” the Dutchman explained.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, which took place on 15 March, teams enjoyed some time off, with no race taking place last week.
According to reports from Italian outlet Autoracer, Red Bull used this time to take stock and have decided that the first updates to the car this season will be introduced in Japan. The report does not go into specifics about the proposed changes.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has already admitted that the RB22 has shown “significant shortcomings” when speaking after the Chinese Grand Prix.
“We knew that just getting onto the grid in Melbourne with our own PU [Power Unit] was a major achievement in itself, and it would have been naive not to expect we would encounter reliability issues,” Mekies said.
“We had to retire Max [on Sunday] because of a coolant fault. However, this was not our only issue as, performance-wise, our package showed some significant shortcomings.”
Mekies then said that the five-week gap in the schedule due to the cancellation of the Saudi and Bahrain Grands Prix would provide an opportunity for Red Bull to improve their car.
“The unfortunate but inevitable cancellation of the races in April will give all of us a chance to catch our breath and work as hard as always in Milton Keynes,” he added.
“We have a great group of talented people on campus, and I have full confidence that we will get through our current limitations thanks to a massive push from everyone and improve our package rapidly.”
Mercedes duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli lead the Drivers’ Championship on 51 and 47 points respectively, ahead of the Japanese race.
The Silver Arrows also top the Constructors’ Championship on 98 points, with Ferrari second on 67.
Topics: Formula 1, Max Verstappen, Motorsport
Luke Davies