- Max Verstappen has identified a key Red Bull weakness before Monaco.
- Red Bull’s struggles over bumps could be exposed in Monaco.
- Laurent Mekies remains confident Red Bull can solve persistent handling issues.
Max Verstappen has warned that Red Bull’s persistent weakness over bumps and kerbs could make the Monaco Grand Prix a punishing test, even as team principal Laurent Mekies insists the issue can still be fixed this season.
Verstappen identified bumps and kerbs as one of Red Bull’s main remaining weaknesses after the Canadian Grand Prix, with Monaco now set to put that problem under a much harsher spotlight.
The Dutchman told Dutch media in Montreal that “anywhere that it’s bumpy” is difficult for Red Bull at the moment, linking the issue to the team’s current car set-up and the compromise between riding the bumps and producing downforce.
Asked about the challenge of taking that weakness to Monaco, Verstappen joked that he might need to “order a new back” for the weekend.
He may have been joking, but the underlying point is serious. Monaco is not just another street circuit. It rewards drivers who can attack kerbs, trust the car over surface changes and build confidence lap by lap between the barriers.
Flashes of pace
This is classic Monaco: not because Red Bull is a bad car, but because the circuit has a habit of turning a manageable weakness into a weekend-defining disaster.
The 2026 Red Bull has already shown flashes of competitiveness, but Verstappen’s comments suggest the car still has a narrow comfort window when the surface gets bumpy or the kerbs affect lap times. At Monaco, that matters everywhere: braking into Sainte Devote, riding the Swimming Pool section, using the kerbs through the chicanes and keeping the rear stable on traction.
The bigger concern for Red Bull is that this does not sound like a one-off issue. Verstappen described it as connected to the philosophy of the car, which makes it harder to dismiss.
Old news for Red Bull
Red Bull has lived with versions of this weakness before, particularly during the ground-effect era when teams had to run cars low and stiff to maximise performance. This current issue is notable because the 2026 rules rely less heavily on ride height, yet Red Bull are still fighting a similar problem.
Mekies pushed back against the idea that the problem must wait for the 2027 car. He said Red Bull have not seen anything that cannot be fixed in 2026, but also said that simply making the car easier over bumps is not enough if the cure costs them lap time.
It’s a chicken-and-egg. Red Bull could likely soften the car or alter its set-up to help Verstappen survive Monaco’s bumps, but doing so at the expense of aerodynamic performance would only shift the problem.
Monaco weekend runs from June 5-7, with qualifying on Saturday and the 78-lap race on Sunday. On a circuit where overtaking is famously limited, qualifying confidence is everything.
Monaco or bust?
First practice will show whether Red Bull can give Verstappen enough mechanical compliance without taking too much performance out of the car.
Verstappen’s warning does not mean Red Bull will automatically struggle in Monaco, and Mekies is confident the team can solve the problem during 2026. But it does raise a technical question: can Red Bull make the RB22 usable enough over Monaco’s surface for Verstappen to attack qualifying?
If the answer is no, Red Bull may spend the weekend defending rather than dictating. If the answer is yes, Verstappen’s complaint may end up looking like a useful early diagnosis rather than a prediction of trouble.
