Max Verstappen addressed his frustrated radio communication during the second free practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday, July 18, 2026. The Red Bull Racing driver expressed significant dissatisfaction with the downshifts on his RB22 car at Spa-Francorchamps.
Verstappen’s radio message during FP2 included strong language, stating, ‘My god, these shifts! Unbelievable, man. Why are they so?! It’s unacceptable this.’ This outburst occurred early in the session, highlighting immediate concerns with the car’s performance.
Following the session, Verstappen explained his comments, attributing the issues to a software update. He noted that he is ‘always very sensitive to these things’ and wants to work on improving them.
The Dutchman clarified that the software change required time for the shifts to calibrate. He observed that the situation improved towards the end of the practice session.
Despite the downshift problems, Verstappen had topped the opening practice session at Spa-Francorchamps, marking his first FP1 fastest time of the 2026 season. He concluded FP2 in third position, approximately half a second behind Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
The 2026 Formula 1 season has presented Red Bull Racing with various technical challenges under the new regulations. The team, now utilizing Red Bull Ford Powertrains, has experienced a difficult start to the year.
Earlier in the season, Verstappen voiced concerns over team radio regarding tyre performance, boost patterns, and energy deployment during races such as the Australian and British Grands Prix. Red Bull was positioned sixth in the constructors’ standings after the initial three rounds of the current campaign.
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is known for its demanding energy management requirements due to its long straights and limited heavy-braking zones. These characteristics place considerable stress on the new-for-2026 power units.
In related team news, Tom Hart has been confirmed as Max Verstappen’s new race engineer. Hart, who previously served as Verstappen’s performance engineer, will succeed Gianpiero Lambiase, who is set to join McLaren in a senior role from the 2028 season.
Hart’s promotion comes after an agreement was reached with Williams, where he had initially committed to joining. He is expected to assume the race engineer role fully in 2027, with potential stand-in appearances later this season.
