Max Verstappen calls Red Bull RB22 'completely undriveable' after qualifying P8 in China

Max Verstappen delivered a scathing assessment of his Red Bull RB22, labeling it "completely undriveable" after a difficult qualifying session left him eighth on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix. The reigning world champion described every lap as a struggle for survival, unable to push the car to its limits, and placed a realistic cap of P7 on his expectations for Sunday's race.

Why it matters:

Verstappen's unusually blunt and frustrated comments highlight a significant and ongoing performance crisis for Red Bull under the new 2026 regulations. As the benchmark team and driver combination of the previous era, their current struggles to understand and develop the RB22 signal a dramatic shift in the competitive order and raise serious questions about the team's direction and the nature of the new technical rules that Verstappen himself has criticized.

The details:

• Verstappen's struggles were consistent throughout the Shanghai weekend, finishing ninth in the Sprint race prior to qualifying.
• The team made substantial setup changes to the car before qualifying, but Verstappen reported they made "zero difference," leaving the car's fundamental issues unresolved.
• He described the car's balance as "really disconnected," suffering from a combination of oversteer and understeer that left him feeling out of control.
• While noting some issues originated from the power unit side, Verstappen emphasized the problems were holistic, stating "everything at the moment" is causing a headache.
• The performance gap was evident as rivals McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes locked out the top six positions, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly also splitting them from Verstappen in seventh.
• Verstappen believes the competitive shift is due to rivals taking "a little step forward" while Red Bull has "taken a step back."

What's next:

With a free weekend following China before the Japanese Grand Prix, Red Bull faces intense pressure to find solutions. Verstappen holds little immediate hope, suggesting that without changes, Red Bull is currently the fourth-fastest team on the grid. He expressed a faint hope that certain track characteristics might bring them closer to the front, but the overarching message was one of profound concern. The upcoming races will be a critical test of Red Bull's ability to diagnose and rectify the RB22's fundamental flaws to prevent their championship challenge from derailing early in the season.