Red Bull confirm hidden steering defect plagued RB22 early in 2026 season

Red Bull has confirmed that a steering defect haunted the RB22 through the opening rounds of 2026, leaving Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar struggling to feel the car. Pierre Waché acknowledged that a faulty steering rack and column robbed both drivers of crucial feedback from the Barcelona shakedown, adding frustration to an already painful start.

Why it matters:

In a year where Red Bull has slipped from the front-running pack, the admission that a hidden mechanical gremlin sabotaged driver confidence from race one explains the early outbursts. Though the team replaced the offending parts and rolled out a Miami upgrade, the RB22 remains a temperamental machine that neither driver fully trusts.

The Details:

• Driver Complaints: Verstappen called the car "completely undrivable" early on and said every lap felt like "survival" in China, while Hadjar slammed the chassis as "terrible" after Suzuka and complained he had to guess what the car would do next.
• Root Cause: Red Bull traced the issue to the steering rack and column. Swapping the hardware restored feel, but Waché admitted the fix addressed feedback without unlocking lap time.
• Missing Pace: Beyond the steering glitch, Waché confirmed the RB22 was simply short on downforce compared to rivals, leaving the team fighting stability on entry and mid-corner understeer.
• Current Form: Even after the repairs and Miami upgrade, results have been scattershot. Verstappen has four podiums in the last seven races, yet neither driver can string together a predictable weekend, with Hadjar sarcastically calling the team's trajectory a "good step back" in Hungary.

Looking Ahead:

With the season entering its final stretch, Red Bull must decide how much more energy to pour into a wayward chassis. The frustration inside the camp is palpable, and unless engineers find a breakthrough, the team may write off 2026 as a developmental dead end and shift focus to next year's challenger.