Red Bull Vows to Fix 'Fundamental Issues' After Troubling Japan Practice

Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies has promised Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar that the team will urgently address the "fundamental issues" plaguing its RB22 car, following another difficult day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix. Despite bringing upgrades, both drivers struggled for pace and confidence, with Verstappen finishing 10th and Hadjar 15th in FP2, leaving the team well behind Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari.

Why it matters:

Red Bull, a team with championship pedigree, is in an uncharacteristic crisis at the start of the season. Failing to provide a stable and competitive platform for its drivers—especially a four-time champion like Verstappen—undermines its entire campaign. The team's ability to quickly diagnose and solve these core performance problems will define whether this becomes a brief stumble or a season-long struggle against more developed rivals.

The Details:

• Team Principal Laurent Mekies openly admitted the car is "far off" the required performance level and that the drivers lack a car they can confidently push to the limit.
• Verstappen described a frustrating cycle where solving one problem immediately reveals another, preventing any consistent progress.
• The central issue, according to Mekies, is a lack of full understanding of the RB22's behavior and limitations, making targeted development difficult.
• He framed the situation as an unavoidable "problem-solving phase" at the start of a new car's lifecycle but stressed the urgency of comprehending the "core of our limitations."

What's Next:

The clock is ticking for Red Bull to turn its season around. Mekies stated the analysis and correction work will happen over the coming "hours, days and probably weeks."

• Immediate focus will be on extracting more from the current package for the remainder of the Japanese GP weekend, though a podium seems highly unlikely.
• The longer-term challenge is a rapid development push to bring the car up to the performance level of the top three teams before the championship gaps become insurmountable. The team's confidence stems from past experiences in overcoming similar early-season hurdles.