Red Bull sees more performance in RB22 despite difficult start
Photo: Race Pictures
17:07, 23 May
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Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.
Red Bull Racing Technical Director Pierre Waché delivered a positive message despite the team's struggles in Sprint Qualifying. According to the Frenchman, there is still more performance to extract from the car.
Friday was a day to forget for Red Bull Racing at the Canadian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar finished seventh and eighth respectively in Sprint Qualifying, behind both Mercedes, McLarens and Ferraris.
Reviewing the team's day, Waché said: "In practice we tried to learn as much as possible for the rest of the weekend across Qualifying and from the long runs in free practice.
"We saw a direction to go in, but putting the tyre where want it to be was quite difficult. Sprint Qualifying didn't go as we had hoped, we had an issue with Max where car performance deteriorated as the session went on, so we need to understand that."
He nevertheless ended on a positive note, explaining that there is still more performance to unlock from the RB22 this weekend. He concluded: "I think we had more performance available to us, but we just weren't able to extract it today."
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Max Verstappen - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen explains issue that made Sprint Qualifying "difficult"
The Dutchman was blunt after the session. Speaking to F1 TV, the four-time F1 world champion explained: "My feeling in the car was not very good. I was struggling a lot with the ride of the car. I couldn't put my foot down, my feet were flying off the pedals. It made it very difficult to be consistent."
Looking ahead, Verstappen concluded: "That is something we need to investigate. We are stuck with that for the Sprint. Hopefully it will be better for [the next] Qualifying."
Speaking to De Telegraaf, the Dutchman also confirmed this weekend that he will stay in Formula 1 for the 2027 campaign. "Yes, definitely. Unless some really crazy things happen, but I don’t expect that. I hope everyone keeps their word. But I can confirm that I’ll stay in Formula 1."
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Canadian Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 22.05.26
Practice 1
04:30 PM
Sprint Qualification
08:30 PM
Saturday 23.05.26
Sprint Race
04:00 PM
Qualification
08:00 PM
Sunday 24.05.26
Race
08:00 PM
Friday 22.05.26
Practice 1
Fri 04:30 PM
Sprint Qualification
Fri 08:30 PM
Saturday 23.05.26
Sprint Race
Sat 04:00 PM
Qualification
Sat 08:00 PM
Sunday 24.05.26
Race
Sun 08:00 PM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 100 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 80 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 63 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 51 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 49 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 43 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 26 | |
8 | HaasHAA | 17 | |
9 | AlpineALP | 16 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 10 |
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