Max Verstappen has had his troubles with the RB22 in 2026. Most of their earlier problems have been fixed, but one bizarre issue is still hampering him.

Red Bull started the season in turmoil as the car proved unreliable and generally lacking pace compared to Mercedes, despite being declared the best power unit for ADUO.

Red Bull are ‘breaking’ Max Verstappen’s suspension when they lift the car during pit stops

Pierre Wache and his team have since made the necessary adjustments, which have put Verstappen in position to finish P2 in the standings. He has scored 11 podiums in the last 13 races, and is 17 points clear of George Russell.

However, Red Bull still have their problems. In Sao Paulo, Verstappen held the clutch wrong, which cost him at the start, but he still produced a great drive to finish second after starting P21.

The performance of the RB22 dropped dramatically in the second half of the race, which infuriated the Dutchman after the race. The reason for the regression is a ‘mystery’, but journalist Julianne Cerasoli has theorised that Red Bull may have broken his car.

Speaking on her YouTube channel, she explained how Red Bull are bizarrely ‘breaking’ Verstappen’s suspension when they lift the car during pit stops.

It is something that has happened in races in 2026, but Cerasoli could not confirm if that was the problem that hampered Verstappen’s performance in Brazil.

She said: “Verstappen, it’s a bit of a mystery, isn’t it? After his first pit stop, he felt something that completely changed the car’s behaviour, making it perform terribly.

“Talking to the guys at Red Bull, it’s come up a few times this year that, and it’s almost hard to believe, when they drop the car… well, they don’t actually use a traditional jack, but when they lower the car during a pit stop, something in the suspension ends up breaking.

“It’s happened a few times before; they haven’t been able to reinforce that part, and it’s possible that’s what happened again. Now, I’m not confirming that this was definitely the cause, just to be clear, but it is something that has occurred in other races.”

Whether that is what caused Verstappen’s drop in performance in Sao Paulo is unknown, but it is a hugely concerning problem for Red Bull.

What is even more alarming is that they have not been able to fix it. Fundamentally, Red Bull cannot continue to let this happen.

The four-time champion was not happy with his car in Sao Paulo, but his performance was remarkable nonetheless. In fact, Verstappen broke Red Bull’s simulators, as they did not possibly predict he would finish P2 from the back row of the grid.