Verstappen drove 'with half throttle' during the confusion at Red Bull.
Max Verstappen's challenging beginning to the 2026 season has taken a fresh turn, as a report indicates that the Dutch driver essentially raced half of the Chinese Grand Prix at a reduced pace due to a miscommunication within the team.
As reported by Auto Motor und Sport, a misunderstanding between Verstappen and his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase—one that wasn't addressed by F1 at the time—led to the four-time world champion unnecessarily easing off the throttle during a crucial part of the Shanghai circuit.
"Do I need to lift in Turn 6 or not?" Verstappen inquired over the radio.
"Lifting off isn’t necessary," was the response.
"I've been lifting for half the race," Verstappen retorted. "Why hasn’t anyone informed me?"
This incident highlights the extent of Red Bull's current challenges, with Verstappen already expressing dissatisfaction with the contentious new 2026 regulations and now dealing with a car that is both uncompetitive and unreliable. His race concluded prematurely due to a hybrid cooling problem, at which point he was already 47 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli.
This situation arises amidst growing criticism of Verstappen’s vocal discontent with the new era of racing. Ralf Schumacher believes Verstappen could be missing the direct influence of former Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko.
"He would benefit from listening to a close friend and concentrating on the essentials," Schumacher stated to Sky Deutschland.
"I don’t think it serves any purpose to talk about ’Mario Kart’ or mention enjoying other categories more than Formula 1."
Schumacher suggested that Verstappen’s current attitude could be counterproductive while Red Bull strives to improve from the midfield.
"He needs to support his team and stop complaining," he added.
Schumacher also questioned Verstappen’s focus, noting that the Dutchman is scheduled to test and race at the Nordschleife this week and is considering additional events beyond Formula 1.
"While wanting to drive in another category is permissible, it isn’t necessary," Schumacher noted.
Former driver and GPDA chairman Alex Wurz cautioned that Verstappen’s negativity might start to impact his performance.
"He needs to be cautious that this negative perspective doesn’t affect him," Wurz told ORF.
On the other hand, some have expressed more understanding. Felipe Massa, who has also criticized the new regulations, remarked that drivers are being compelled to adopt a style that feels unnatural.
"You have to act more like an engineer than a driver," he said. "That isn’t right."
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