0
Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché has acknowledged clear progress with the RB22, but insists the team is still not operating at the level it demands after a troubled start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. Speaking to media, Waché framed the recovery as encouraging yet incomplete, with Max Verstappen now regularly contending for podiums after Red Bull sat sixth in the constructors' championship following the opening three races.
Red Bull collected just sixteen points from the season's first three grands prix, a deficit that raised immediate questions about whether the team had misjudged the new regulations. Verstappen has since claimed third place finishes in Canada, Austria, Belgium and Hungary, lifting Red Bull back into contact with the leading teams. The Dutchman's consistency has enabled the team to claw back ground, though race wins remain elusive.
Waché emphasised the development trajectory rather than the current position. "We started with a deficit, but we have certainly made steps since then. The team has done excellent work to improve the car and bring us to where we are now," he told assembled journalists. The Frenchman identified the RB22's evolution as a key positive, noting that both Verstappen and rookie Isack Hadjar have benefited from the upgrades introduced over the first half of the season.
Development path remains incomplete
"We are still not at the level where we want to be," Waché admitted. "We are continuously trying to understand what is not working and where we can improve. Then we look at what that delivers for us. The important thing is that we have made clear and interesting progress as a team."
The contrast between Red Bull's early-season struggles and its current form is stark. In the opening phase, the Austrian team found itself trailing Haas and Alpine, a scenario unthinkable during the dominant phases of the recent Verstappen era. Verstappen's return to regular podium contention signals genuine recovery, but the absence of victories underlines the gap that remains to the front.
Hadjar's improved showings have also validated the development direction. The Frenchman, in his debut season, has had fewer reference points than Verstappen, but recent races have shown him exploiting the car's enhanced performance window more consistently.
2025 title fight blamed for slow start
Speculation has centred on whether Red Bull's protracted 2025 title battle forced the team to delay its switch to 2026 development. Red Bull fought until the final rounds last season, potentially limiting the resources allocated to the new regulatory cycle. Waché stopped short of confirming that hypothesis outright.
"That is difficult to say with certainty," he said. "I think mainly that some other teams have simply done very good work. We fought until the end of last season, just like McLaren. Because of that, we are perhaps both running a bit behind what we would normally have wanted to do."
The admission suggests Red Bull accepts some trade-off between maximising 2025 and preparing for 2026, though Waché declined to frame it as a strategic error. His reference to McLaren facing a similar predicament offers partial mitigation, positioning the delay as an unavoidable consequence of competing for championships rather than a miscalculation.
Second half target: race wins and title contention
Red Bull has reduced the deficit, but Waché's comments make clear the team views its current position as transitional rather than satisfactory. The target for the second half of 2026 is unambiguous: return to winning races and support Verstappen's championship challenge, which remains mathematically viable despite the early setbacks.
Verstappen has not publicly abandoned his title ambitions, and Red Bull's recent trajectory suggests the team believes it can close the gap further. Whether the development rate can be sustained, and whether Red Bull can convert podiums into victories, will determine if the 2026 season ends in frustration or vindication for a team unaccustomed to playing catch-up.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
A. Antonelli
C. Leclerc
983 members have this team as their favourite
Replies (0)
Login to reply