Max Verstappen fears streets of Monaco may further expose Red Bull’s weaknesses

The Dutchman arrives in Monte Carlo encouraged by progress made at the Canadian Grand Prix, where he secured his first podium of the 2026 season. Verstappen finished third behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton after Red Bull finally unlocked more performance from the RB22 during the Montreal weekend.

Despite that result, Verstappen remains cautious about Red Bull's prospects in Monaco: "I don't know how the car is going to feel tomorrow. Monaco can always give you some surprises, but realistically, from my side, we've been okay in the low speed but at the same time, here, you need to be good on the bumps and the kerbs, which is where we're not that great. We'll have to see how it will evolve throughout the weekend."

The comments highlight an issue that has plagued Red Bull throughout the opening rounds of the season. While the team made gains in Canada, bouncing and drivability problems continued to hamper performance before engineers eventually found improvements late in the weekend.

With Monaco's unforgiving barriers punishing even the smallest mistakes, driver confidence becomes critical. That confidence is built on having a predictable car capable of handling the circuit's unique combination of bumps, kerbs and low speed corners.

Asked where Red Bull still need to improve, Verstappen painted a picture of a team chasing gains across every aspect of performance rather than focusing on a single weakness.

"You want to improve in every area," the four time F1 World Champion explained. "You want more grip, you want more power, you want better braking efficiency, you want the tyres to operate in a better window, so in that sense, you want to be better everywhere.

"I think, looking at Montreal, we're definitely lacking in the straights, but also in the corners. I think the ride, or in general on the bumps, we were not the best, and, of course, high speed corners in other places. Now, here there are no high speed corners, but normally that has not been our biggest strength yet," added Verstappen.

That assessment reflects the reality of Red Bull's position in 2026. After dominating previous seasons, the Milton Keynes outfit has been forced into a development race with McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari, with Antonelli's championship leading Mercedes squad currently setting the benchmark.

The absence of high speed corners in Monaco could help mask some of Red Bull's shortcomings, but Verstappen's concerns about ride quality and kerb handling remain significant given the nature of the circuit.

While performance remains a work in progress, Verstappen was positive about the atmosphere inside Red Bull following the team's management restructuring and Laurent Mekies' appointment as team principal.

"The feeling is good in the team," he said. "Everyone is working well together and we're all heading in the same direction, so everyone knows what they have to do and what we want to achieve."

Verstappen also pointed to recent progress as a reason for optimism despite Red Bull's ongoing challenges: "We made some positive steps forward in Miami and the pace is a lot closer to where we need to be.

"I felt like we were able to extract a better performance from the car and I felt more comfortable. However, we will keep pushing as there are always things we can improve and work on, which is how we operate as a team," said the Dutch ace.

Monaco traditionally places enormous emphasis on qualifying performance, something Verstappen readily acknowledged ahead of the weekend: "Monaco is always reliant on good strategy and, as always here, it will be key to get the best result in qualifying.

"It has been nice to have a bit of time to reset before the double header and good to be close to home and be able to see family especially when it is a hectic weekend on and off track," concluded the Red Bull driver.

Whether his team's recent gains are enough to challenge the frontrunners in Monaco remains uncertain, but Verstappen's verdict is clear: the unique demands of Monte Carlo will quickly reveal whether the Red Bull RB22's weaknesses have truly been addressed.
(Additional Reporting Agnes Carlier in Monaco)