Mar.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s difficult start to the 2026 season has taken a new twist, with a report revealing the Dutchman effectively drove half of the Chinese GP at reduced pace due to a team communication error.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, a misunderstanding between Verstappen and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase – not highlighted by F1 at the time – meant the quadruple world champion was unnecessarily lifting the throttle through a key section of the Shanghai circuit.
“Do I need to lift in Turn 6 or not?” Verstappen eventually asked over the radio.
“Lifting off isn’t necessary,” came the reply.
“I’ve been lifting for half the race,” Verstappen shot back. “Why doesn’t anyone tell me?”
The revelation underlines the scale of Red Bull’s current struggles, with Verstappen already unhappy with the controversial new 2026 regulations and now also grappling with an uncompetitive and unreliable car.
His race ended early with a hybrid cooling issue, by which point he was already 47 seconds behind race winner Kimi Antonelli.
The situation comes amid wider criticism of Verstappen’s increasingly vocal frustration with the new era.
Ralf Schumacher believes Verstappen may be missing the blunt influence of former Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko.
“He would be well advised to listen to a good friend and concentrate on the essentials,” Schumacher told Sky Deutschland.
“I don’t think it helps to talk about ‘Mario Kart’ or say he enjoys other categories more than Formula 1.”
Schumacher suggested Verstappen’s current mindset could be counterproductive as Red Bull fights its way out of the midfield.
“Now he needs to help his team and stop complaining,” he said.
Schumacher also questioned Verstappen’s focus, with the Dutchman set to test and race at the Nordschleife this week and eyeing further outings outside Formula 1.
“The fact that he wants to drive in another category is something you can do, but this isn’t necessary,” Schumacher added.
Former driver and GPDA chairman Alex Wurz also warned that Verstappen’s negativity could begin to affect his performance.
“He has to be careful that this negative view of everything doesn’t affect him,” Wurz told ORF.
Others have been more sympathetic.
Felipe Massa, who has also criticised the new regulations, said drivers are now being forced into a style that feels unnatural.
“You have to be more of an engineer than a driver,” he said. “That isn’t right.”
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