Verstappen suffers pre-race problems, Red Bull work on RB22 on Chinese GP grid

Photo: Race Pictures

Updated: 07:55, 15 Mar

Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.

As well as Lando Norris, Max Verstappen has suffered with technical issues prior to the Chinese GP.

Unlike the world champion, Verstappen's RB22 is on the grid, but the Red Bull team have been pictured working heavily on the Dutchman's 2026 challenger.

GPblog's Tim Kraaij reports problems with Verstappen's RB22, with a rear wing being changed on the grid.

Photo: GPblog

On the grid, team principal Laurent Mekies, has confirmed to Sky Sports that Red Bull have had a "small issue" with the actuation of the rear wing, but that it has been replaced, and that "everything will be alright" for the race start.

Lando Norris faces pit lane start as McLaren suffer electrical issues at Chinese GP

The pit lane has since closed, meaning the world champion faces a pit lane start provided the MCL40's issues are fixed in time, and Norris has since jumped out of his car.

While McLaren said they have the issue under control, Norris was still in the garage as drivers headed out for their reconnaissance laps, with the Briton in the cockpit of his MCL40.

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Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	156
2	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	90
3	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	88
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	75
5	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	60
6	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	58
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	43
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	29
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	26
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	26
11	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	15
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	13
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Verstappen suffers pre-race problems, Red Bull work on RB22 on Chinese GP grid

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