Verstappen dreads Monaco in painful RB22: ‘I’ll need a new back’

Max Verstappen left Montreal with a podium finish, but the result did little to disguise a growing concern inside Red Bull Racing.

The Dutchman spent much of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend wrestling with a car that appeared increasingly uncomfortable over bumps, and now he fears Formula 1’s most unforgiving street circuit could expose the weakness even further.

Monaco, with its narrow confines, uneven surface and notorious kerbs, has long demanded a compliant car. But right now, Verstappen is not convinced Red Bull has one.

“Anywhere that it’s bumpy is going to be difficult for us,” he said, quoted by Motorsport.com.

“That has to do with the philosophy of our car at the moment, how you set it up to take the bumps versus the amount of downforce.

“It’s not quite optimal yet. It was a bit better in Miami, but of course it wasn’t so bumpy there. That makes it easier for us to find the right set-up.”

Those comments will do little to calm concerns ahead of next weekend’s round of racing in Monte-Carlo, a venue where Red Bull has endured mixed fortunes in recent seasons and where ride quality can be just as important as outright pace.

Monaco looms as the ultimate test

If Montreal exposed the RB22’s shortcomings, Monaco threatens to magnify them.

The combination of low-speed corners, elevation changes and aggressive kerbs makes the Principality one of the most physically demanding weekends for both car and driver.

Verstappen’s assessment of what lies ahead came with a touch of humour, but it carried an unmistakable warning.

“Oh yes, that is going to be great. I think I’m going to order a new back!” he said.

Behind the joke sits a serious engineering challenge. Verstappen admitted Red Bull has not yet identified a definitive cure for the problem, despite ongoing efforts to understand the root cause.

The Dutchman also revealed after Canada that he disagreed with the team’s setup direction during the weekend, highlighting the delicate balancing act Red Bull faces.

“If only we knew exactly what was causing it. I do have some ideas, and that’s what we’re going to work on now,” he concluded.

Red Bull remains confident

While Verstappen is preparing for a potentially uncomfortable weekend on the streets of Monte Carlo, team principal Laurent Mekies is taking a more measured view.

Red Bull’s season has already been a story of recovery. The Milton Keynes outfit endured a difficult start to 2026, with its first in-house power unit proving competitive but the RB22 chassis falling short of expectations.

A substantial upgrade package introduced in Miami delivered a noticeable step forward, yet the ride-quality issue remains unresolved. But Mekies insists there is no reason to believe the problem is beyond the team’s capabilities.

“There is nothing yet that we are seeing that cannot be fixed in 2026," the Frenchman commented.

“You know, the guys are doing all the analysis in the world back at the factory to try to come up with a solution that not only fixes the issues but fixes the issues by bringing lap time.

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“Because it will probably be quite easy to fix the issues but make the car slower. So you want to fix the issues and bring lap time. It's a complex issue.

“We love complex issues," he continued. "We have plenty of them, and I have every confidence that in the same way that we have cracked quite fundamental issues since the beginning of the season, we will be managing to do a few more.”

Whether Red Bull can solve the puzzle quickly enough is another matter. Monaco offers little mercy to cars that struggle over bumps, and even less to drivers who lack confidence in what sits beneath them.

For Verstappen, next weekend could become less a battle against his rivals and more a test of endurance against the RB22 itself.

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