Red Bull slips further and further into a downward spiral – In Japan, Max Verstappen had to admit defeat to Pierre Gasly’s Alpine
Red Bull will have to come up with something in the 2026 Formula 1 season to avoid losing touch with the top teams. After the Grand Prix in Japan, the team led by Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar is only in sixth place in the overall standings – level on points with Alpine.
Neither Verstappen nor Hadjar were able to make their mark on the Suzuka race. Verstappen was stuck behind Pierre Gasly for the entire race, who finished eighth ahead of the Dutchman in Alpine. Hadjar clearly missed out on the points in twelfth place. But what is the problem at Red Bull after three races in the new Formula 1 era?
When asked how Verstappen liked the view of the rear of the Alpine, he replied: “I had a good look at it in China too, I think I was behind it. I think we were a little bit faster per lap, but I just can’t overtake.”
Verstappen frustrated, Gasly happy
Verstappen is more precise: “I was able to overtake, but then I ran out of battery on the next straight. I tried once, so I overtook him in the last chicane, but then I ran out of battery on the next straight. So I thought to myself: ‘See you soon’.” After that, Verstappen simply had to try again and again, which didn’t work.
Gasly felt the pressure from the four-time world champion, but withstood it brilliantly. “It was an intense race,” says the Alpine driver. “We all know that Max never gives up and he built up a lot of pressure for 28 laps. He was very strong in turn 11.”
That’s why Gasly had to dig deep into his bag of tricks to keep the Dutchman behind him. The magic word – or bad word – was once again energy management. “I had to be clever with the battery as he got closer. We managed it well overall, but it was very intense.”
Hadjar comes away empty-handed
Gasly was very proud of the battle itself, saying he doesn’t “get the chance to fight with a four-time champion every weekend”. “I’m happy to be in this position,” said the Frenchman. “I enjoyed the race and that put a bit more pressure on me to fight against him.” Gasly pushed himself to his personal limit. “The pace was good and we seem to have a faster car than the other teams in the midfield.”
After all, Verstappen scored four points in Suzuka, while his team-mate Hadjar came away completely empty-handed. The youngster crossed the finish line from a promising eighth place – important: the starts were not the problem for Red Bull this time, they worked well so far.
“That doesn’t even describe one percent of how bad this race was,” said Hadjar about his performance despite the starting position. “I need to understand what was going on with the battery and why it came so early. I was comfortably in eighth place. The plan was to fight Pierre, which we did. All that then crumbled with a flat battery. I was simply powerless.”
In the drivers’ standings, things are not looking rosy either. Verstappen is in ninth place behind Gasly with just twelve points to his name. Hadjar is only twelfth. That certainly doesn’t meet the Red Bull team’s own expectations.
