Red Bull has made progress identifying a persistent car degradation problem that Max Verstappen has complained about for years, where certain components at the rear of the RB22 deteriorate over sessions and races. Team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the issue cannot be fully resolved with this year's car but valuable lessons learned can be applied to next season.
Verstappen told Motorsport.com in Baku that Red Bull is finally pinpointing areas where they can improve, describing it as work in progress. The problem has remarkably persisted despite the complete overhaul of regulations and the 2026 car being entirely new compared to previous generations.
Technical director Pierre Waché acknowledged the challenge while laughing off suggestions he was confident about completely fixing it for 2027. He explained that Formula 1 involves constant compromises between maximizing overall performance and avoiding destructive solutions, making the degradation issue particularly complex to resolve.
The team introduced its final major upgrade package for the RB22 in Baku, with Waché concluding that correlation is good and the new floor and revised sidepods are performing as expected. However, Red Bull's focus has already shifted to the 2027 challenger, partly because little performance remains to be gained this season.