Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley has delivered a critical assessment of Red Bull’s 2026 Formula 1 season, rating the team’s performance at a 5 out of 10. Smedley initially gave a 5.5 before downgrading his score, stating that Red Bull ‘should be doing so much better’. He attributed the team’s struggles to ‘too many basic problems’.
Smedley’s comments, made on the High Performance Racing podcast, highlighted a recurring issue for the Milton Keynes-based squad. He noted that a ‘different problem pops out every weekend’, making consistent performance difficult. These issues are described as ‘always critical’ and ‘something quite big’, rather than contained reliability or operational problems.
Red Bull is navigating its first season as a full power unit manufacturer, developing its engine in partnership with Ford. Despite the FIA adjudging the Red Bull-Ford internal combustion engine to be the best at the first ADUO checkpoint, the power unit has not consistently met the team’s standards and has experienced reliability issues.
The team has also faced significant personnel changes, including the dismissal of former team principal Christian Horner after the 2025 British Grand Prix and the departure of long-serving advisor Helmut Marko at the end of the 2025 season. Other key figures, such as design chief Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, and strategy chief Will Courtenay, have also left the organisation.
Max Verstappen, the team’s lead driver, has secured four podium finishes in the 2026 season, with his best results being second places in Austria and Hungary. However, Red Bull remains the only top team yet to secure a victory this year. Verstappen currently sits sixth in the Drivers’ standings with 109 points, 110 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
A notable technical challenge for Red Bull has been its ‘Macarena’ rear wing, a concept pioneered by Ferrari. Verstappen experienced spins in Austria and Britain due to airflow reattachment issues and mechanical failures with this design. The team temporarily reverted to a previous-spec wing for the Belgian Grand Prix.
A revised version of the ‘Macarena’ rear wing was reintroduced at the Hungarian Grand Prix after Red Bull engineers identified and resolved two distinct mechanical issues. Team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the mechanical nature of the failures, and technical director Pierre Wache clarified that the problem was mechanical, not aerodynamic, with the FIA having no concerns regarding its legality.
In contrast to Smedley’s critique, former Aston Martin and Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer offered a more positive outlook, rating Red Bull a 6 out of 10. Szafnauer acknowledged the team’s four podiums and the complexities of developing their own powertrain for the first time. He also considered the impact of key personnel departures, noting that despite the ‘turmoil’, Red Bull is ‘still competing at a decent level’.
‘Because of their podiums, I’m going to give them a 6,’ said Szafnauer. ‘They did their own powertrain for the first time ever. They’ve done a better job than I anticipated on the powertrain. They’ve lost some key individuals over the last couple of years, including a well-experienced team principal and a special advisor. Some technical people as well. With all that turmoil of people leaving, they are still competing at a decent level. I think Max probably could have won a race or two this year. I know he hasn’t, but he wasn’t that far off.’
The RB22 chassis has also presented challenges, with issues reported concerning balance, race-pace consistency, and aerodynamic downforce, particularly at the rear. Verstappen has openly expressed his frustration with the car’s unpredictable behaviour throughout the season.
