Verstappen reveals root of Red Bull race start issues after Chinese GP setback

The Red Bull Racing driver, who spoke to GPblog following his challenging weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit, pointed out that the race start wasn’t a surprise, citing similar experiences during both the race in Australia and the earlier Sprint race.

“It was expected, but again, the start, of course, was a big problem, the same as yesterday. The rest of the race was again the same as yesterday: just a lot of graining, can’t push, terrible pace, terrible balance… just like yesterday. So, yeah, just a very bad weekend for us,” Verstappen explained.

Pressed further about why he continues to lose positions off the line, the four-time world champion detailed how he often has no battery power when releasing the clutch at the start.

“So, I had no battery in Melbourne, and here the two problems are the same. I just have no power. As soon as I release the clutch, the engine is not there,” he concluded.

Verstappen endured a challenging Grand Prix at the Shanghai circuit. After qualifying in eighth place, the Dutch driver slid down the grid at lights out. However, Verstappen’s bid for a recovery drive was cut short on lap 46 after an ERS problem forced him to retire from the race.

Verstappen also did not hold back his discontent with the current F1 regulations. The Dutch driver had earlier compared the rule to racing in Mario Kart.

Following the race in China, Verstappen described the regulations as fundamentally flawed in another scathing assessment of the 2026 cars.

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