Red Bull launch fixes put on hold until next season

Pulse Sports Team 12:36 - 27 October 2026

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has confirmed that the clutch issues plaguing the RB22 will not be completely resolved before the start of next Formula 1 season. His comments follow Hadjar's calls for fundamental design changes in the wake of the United States Grand Prix.

Isack Hadjar finished sixth at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, but emphasised after the chequered flag that an unstable clutch mechanism and severe operating temperature issues continue to cause sluggish race starts beyond the driver's control.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit has struggled with poor launch dynamics throughout the campaign, with Max Verstappen and Hadjar routinely dropping positions off the line when the lights go out against rivals Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes.

Mekies explained to the media that curing their start-line deficit is an intricate task involving virtually every department across the organisation, with the sole exception of aerodynamics.

"Starts are far more complex than they appear. It touches almost every single department in the company – the power unit, gearbox, clutch, and numerous other components. From the very beginning of the season, we knew we weren't the benchmark at launches. While we've narrowed the deficit, we're still not operating at the level of the frontrunners," the team boss stated.

"The fact that our car has significantly improved in the meantime and we're now battling at the sharp end makes this deficit even more painful, given how strong our rivals are. On one hand, I'm confident we'll continue closing the gap before the end of the year as we learn from every race. On the other hand, we are well aware that we won't be the best before the season concludes, as that demands substantial design and hardware changes that will only arrive next year," Mekies added.

Radio communications pose a new challenge

The Texas race weekend was further complicated by recurring radio malfunctions, leaving Verstappen and Hadjar without clear instructions from the pit wall on several occasions. It marked the second consecutive grand prix in which Red Bull's communication system suffered in-session dropouts.

Mekies acknowledged that Hadjar's frustration regarding the issue was entirely justified:

"Isack has a point. We're all frustrated to be battling radio failures for a second consecutive race. It makes everyone's job so much harder. We want to get it sorted as quickly as possible because team radio is something that should just work seamlessly without draining so much of our energy. If we fully understood the root cause, we'd have fixed it already. We have to admit our competitors are doing a better job, as we can hear everyone else's radios clearly while we are struggling far more than we'd like."