Verstappen's start-line struggles are a concern for racing. Unfamiliar starts and car issues raise questions about Red Bull's dominance and the future of F1.
Australian Race Weekend Disaster
Max Verstappen seemed to have a rough start to the season, as he had an unlucky qualifying session and a rather unlucky race start. In the Qualifying session, Max Verstappen crashed on the first flying lap.
Verstappen hit the brakes on turn 1 and completely spun out of control, which led him to the very end of the grid for race start. Originally, he almost didn't qualify to start the race at all due to not completing a single qualifying lap, but FIA officials decided that he proved himself enough in the practice sessions.
For race start, Max Verstappen had quite an unfamiliar start as he slowed down for a brief moment before taking off again. The Dutch driver and 4-time world champion is known for his incredible race start that often gives him advantages, so seeing Verstappen struggle to get a good race start is unfamiliar.
Verstappen tells media, "Terrible. I had no battery".
Though Verstappen redeemed himself, gaining 14 places and ending up in 6th place, he had a rather difficult race start, which leaves a question of whether the car is stable enough to bring Red Bull good results in the 2026 season.
Shanghai Race Weekend
During the Qualifying session Verstappen barely managed to make it through SQ2, landing him a P8 start. Verstappen expressed his discomfort and struggled with grip and balance with the car.
As lights out approached the next day, Verstappen was seen having a similar bad start as the previous race weekend. He dropped 6 positions at the very start. Verstappen is seen looking at all the cars as they pass him. He overtook and reclaimed his position, then seemed to stay steadily and consistent in P6, behind Oliver Bearman who consistently stayed 2-3 seconds ahead of him.
It wasn't until there was only ten laps remaining, on lap 46, Verstappen is seen losing power at around lap 6, where the team asks him to officially retire the car. Max told media that it had something to do with an ERS Cooling issue.
Verstappen's Concerns and Dislikes
It's no secret that Verstappen dislikes the new 2026 regulations as he describes driving is "not how it should be". He has often jokingly compared the driving to "Mario Kart" racing. He claims that this new system is not good for the sport and is very "anti-racing", calling the 2026 regulations a "joke". You can read more about Verstappen's remarks here.
What might Verstappen's concern reveal? Will this be the start of Red Bull's downfall after a strong era of being at the top of the grid or will this be a wakeup call to Red Bull or even the FIA?
and most importantly... what does this have to say about the 2026 cars?