Red Bull's 2026 Formula 1 car is forcing its drivers to "reset your expectations" every lap and does not give them "any confidence to attack any corner" as a result. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar expressed frustration with the Red Bull RB22's inconsistent performance during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, where the team struggled to find consistency. Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 after a late surge from Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad, while Hadjar made it to Q3 for the third time in three races but failed to secure a better position, starting eighth. Both drivers highlighted the car's unpredictable behavior, which shifted dramatically from one session to another or even lap to lap. Verstappen described the car as moving "from one extreme to another" during Friday practice, alternating between understeer and oversteer. This inconsistency left him "just bleeding a lot of laptime" and "stuck" in qualifying, unable to push harder. Hadjar echoed similar concerns, noting the car's behavior had "changed massively compared to FP3." He recalled his first lap in Q1, where the car felt like it was "sliding everywhere" despite minimal steering input. "Lap by lap, session by session, you always have to guess what you're going to get," he said, emphasizing the difficulty of building confidence. Verstappen added that the car's response had "changed again in a different way" between final practice and qualifying. Despite minor adjustments made by the team, the car's behavior worsened, with certain components failing to function as intended. "It just doesn't respond," he said, explaining that Red Bull's past ability to adapt the car from Friday to Saturday has been difficult to replicate under the new rules.#red_bull #max_verstappen #isack_hadjar #japanese_grand_prix #rb22
