During the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen already indicated that riding bumps and kerbs remains one of Red Bull’s main weaknesses. It has been an Achilles’ heel for several years now, and despite the all-new technical regulations, that has not changed.
“Anywhere that it’s bumpy is going to be difficult for us,” Verstappen told Dutch media, including Motorsport.com, in Montreal. “That has to do with the philosophy of our car at the moment, how you set it up to take the bumps versus the amount of downforce.
“It’s not quite optimal yet. It was a bit better in Miami, but of course it wasn’t so bumpy there. That makes it easier for us to find the right set-up.”
At Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, attacking the kerbs was already an important factor – especially in qualifying – but the streets of Monaco will take that challenge to another level. When the race weekend in the principality was brought up, Verstappen laughed:
“Oh yes, that is going to be great. I think I’m going to order a new back!”
Laurent Mekies believes Red Bull can fix the issues concerning Max Verstappen
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Can Red Bull still solve its kerb and bump issues this year?
It is noteworthy that Red Bull is still struggling with similar ride issues this year. During the ground-effect era, those problems became particularly apparent because the cars had to run extremely low and stiff, but the current regulations rely less heavily on ride height.
Verstappen himself also finds it surprising that the issues over bumps and kerbs have proven so persistent at Red Bull.
“If only we knew exactly what was causing it. I do have some ideas, and that’s what we’re going to work on now,” Verstappen said.
The obvious follow-up question is how quickly those issues can be resolved, especially if, as Verstappen suggests, they are linked to the underlying philosophy of the RB22.
When Motorsport.com asked team principal Laurent Mekies whether the issues can still be fixed this year or whether it is a structural problem that will have to wait for the 2027 car, the team boss replied:
“There is nothing yet that we are seeing that cannot be fixed in 2026.”
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Mekies added that it is a balancing act for the technical team. Red Bull only wants to solve the ride issues if it can do so without sacrificing lap time, as the team is aiming for an all-round package rather than a car that excels only at specific circuits.
“You know, the guys are doing all the analysis in the world back at the factory to try to come up with a solution that not only fixes the issues, but fixes the issues by bringing lap time,” Mekies said.
“Because it will probably be quite easy to fix the issues, but make the car slower. So you want to fix the issues and bring lap time. It’s a complex issue.”
Nevertheless, Mekies remains confident that Red Bull can make further progress during the current season, which could prove valuable later in the year at tracks such as Baku, Singapore and Las Vegas.
“We love complex issues. We have plenty of them and I have every confidence that in the same way that we have cracked quite fundamental issues since the beginning of the season, we will be managing to do a few more.”
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