(Motorsport-Total.com) – Red Bull’s start problems have become a recurring theme throughout the season. While other teams have largely brought their initial difficulties under control, the drivers of the Austrian racing team continue to struggle with inconsistent starts.
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After the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, Isack Hadjar therefore finds clear words and makes it clear that Red Bull urgently needs to improve.
“We simply have to work on our starts, because it can’t go on like this,” he explains to F1 TV. “Every race weekend it’s the same story. Here it was a nightmare, but I had difficulties all weekend.”
While everyone else had made progress, Red Bull had taken a step back. “The procedure is simply too difficult. The working window is too small.”
Since the beginning of the season, Red Bull drivers have regularly lost positions immediately after the start. Although isolated good starts were achieved, neither Max Verstappen nor Hadjar have been able to find a consistent solution so far. The problem became particularly noticeable again in Barcelona.
Hadjar had qualified sixth there and was on the grid directly behind his teammate. But instead of using his good starting position, the Frenchman fell back to 14th place after a failed start. He lost eight positions on the way to the first corner alone. Despite this handicap, Hadjar fought back and finally reached sixth place.
Competitors have already solved similar problems
According to Hadjar, the fact that other teams have made progress is particularly evident in Mercedes. The Silver Arrows had similar difficulties at the beginning of the season.
Especially the current championship leader Kimi Antonelli regularly lost positions in the first races immediately after the start lights went out. In the past three race weekends, however, the Italian presented himself much more stable, which indicates that Mercedes has found a solution.
Red Bull, on the other hand, is still looking for answers. When asked about the cause of his bad start at the Barcelona Grand Prix, Hadjar just sighs: “I don’t know, man. For me, the whole weekend was already like that.”
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It was particularly frustrating that the crucial start on the grid failed: “I think of the six practice starts we did over the weekend, that was the worst. And of all places, it had to happen on the grid,” he ponders.
“I stalled the engine twice – something that hasn’t happened to me all season. That’s why we have to solve these problems, because the procedure is far too complicated. I’m not a computer, I’m not a machine. I can’t be accurate to 0.0001 percent. That’s not how it works.”
Mekies names origin of start problems
Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies does not contradict his driver’s assessment. On the contrary: his recent statements indicate that the team has already identified the cause of the difficulties.
Accordingly, the start problems are closely related to the new power unit. As a manufacturer of the power unit, Red Bull is still in a learning phase and must further optimize the interaction between chassis and drive.
Photos: Red Bull, F1: Grand Prix of Barcelona (Spain) 2026
“We didn’t have a good start,” says Mekies, referring to Hadjar’s race. “We have experienced weak starts so far this season. In the first year as an engine manufacturer, that’s part of it. We are currently learning that there are many areas we need to improve, both on the chassis and engine side.” In doing so, he indirectly confirms Hadjar’s criticism of the narrow working window of the current setup.
“We have been saying for a long time that we have a very good power unit. But it is also a power unit with a very narrow working window. In many areas, this makes life a bit more difficult,” the team boss knows.
However, Mekies leaves open whether and when Red Bull can present a concrete solution. Instead, he points out that the problems are part of the development process: “That’s simply part of the learning process in the first year.”
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