Verstappen fumes at Red Bull in Austin FP3: ‘It’s stupid, it’s so dumb’

News Summary

• Max Verstappen angrily criticised the gearshifts of his Red Bull RB22 during FP3 in Austin, describing their behaviour as stupid and questioning why they were performing so poorly.
• The Dutchman has previously reported similar problems with gear changes, including during the Belgian Grand Prix, when Red Bull attributed difficulties to a software adjustment.
• The radio message came during the final preparations for United States Grand Prix qualifying, following a competitive Friday in which Verstappen finished second and third in the two practice sessions.

Max Verstappen lost patience with the behaviour of his Red Bull RB22 during the third free-practice session for the United States Grand Prix on Saturday, delivering an angry radio message about the car’s gearshifts. The four-time Formula 1 world champion expressed his frustration while preparing for qualifying at Circuit of The Americas, where Red Bull is attempting to continue its strong late-season recovery.

The Dutchman had been among the fastest drivers during Friday’s sessions, finishing second in FP1 and third in FP2, but the latest practice session produced another complaint about the car’s operation.

“Nice! Yeah, Fuck this. Honestly, it’s stupid, it’s so dumb!” Verstappen said over team radio.

The Red Bull driver then directly questioned the performance of the gear changes.

“Why are the shifts so bad?”

The messages were broadcast during FP3, with Verstappen visibly frustrated by the behaviour of his car.

The radio transmission establishes that he was dissatisfied with the gearshifts, but Red Bull has not yet confirmed the technical cause or whether a mechanical fault was involved.

Verstappen questions Red Bull’s gearshifts before Austin qualifying

Verstappen’s complaint came during the final hour of practice before qualifying, a session teams use to refine their cars and resolve outstanding problems.

At Circuit of The Americas, the combination of fast direction changes, heavy braking zones and slower corners places significant demands on the car’s balance and power delivery.

Consistent gearshifts are important because an unexpected interruption during acceleration or deceleration can influence how the car responds when the driver enters or exits a corner.

The behaviour can be particularly noticeable during downshifts under braking, when the driver expects the power unit and transmission to respond predictably.

Verstappen’s radio message did not identify a particular component as faulty. It also did not establish whether his complaint concerned upshifts, downshifts or both.

Red Bull will therefore need to assess the available data to determine whether adjustments are required before qualifying.

Red Bull previously faced similar complaints at Spa

The issue is not entirely new for Verstappen.

During FP2 at the Belgian Grand Prix in July, the Dutchman also became frustrated with the gearshifts of the RB22, describing their behaviour as unacceptable.

He subsequently explained that Red Bull had introduced a software change that affected the way the gear changes were performed.

At Spa-Francorchamps, Verstappen acknowledged that the adjustment had improved the situation as the session progressed.

“I’m always very sensitive to these things because I want to work on that and improve it,” he explained at the time.

He also said the system required time to adapt following the software modification.

“I think there was like, kind of a software update, or downgrade, that it took a bit of time for the shifts to learn basically, and then it got a bit better again at the end.”

Those earlier comments provide context for the latest complaint, although there is no confirmation that the Austin issue has the same cause as the difficulties experienced in Belgium.

Red Bull’s improving form faces another test in Austin

Verstappen arrived at the United States Grand Prix following consecutive victories in Malaysia and Singapore.

The results marked a significant improvement for Red Bull, which struggled to match Mercedes during the opening months of the 2026 season.

The team’s development programme has improved the RB22’s competitiveness, while the Red Bull Powertrains-Ford operation has continued gaining experience with its first Formula 1 engine.

Verstappen recently explained that the recovery in 2026 has involved different technical challenges from the team’s resurgence in 2025.

The Dutchman’s assessment of what changed during Red Bull’s latest comeback highlighted the differences between the two cars and the development work required.

The RB22 remained competitive during Friday’s running in Austin.

Verstappen finished FP1 just 0.084 seconds behind Charles Leclerc before ending FP2 in third, 0.189s away from the Ferrari driver.

Leclerc led both sessions, while Mercedes championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished second in the afternoon, only 0.042s behind the Ferrari.

The analysis of Friday’s practice and the relative pace of Formula 1’s leading teams also showed why Saturday’s fight for pole position remains open.

Red Bull also dealt with steering and balance problems on Friday

Red Bull experienced other technical difficulties during the opening day in Austin.

Technical director Pierre Waché confirmed that the team had identified a steering problem on Verstappen’s car during FP1, although the issue was subsequently resolved.

“We had a steering issue on Max’s car in FP1, which we managed to resolve, and we saw some improvements with the set-up in FP2,” Waché explained.

The French engineer also acknowledged that the car remained difficult to operate over the bumps at Circuit of The Americas.

“The set-up we are running is less stiff than last year, but the car is still not compliant enough over the bumps,” he said.

Red Bull’s difficulties were particularly evident on Isack Hadjar’s side of the garage, with the Frenchman reporting significant balance problems during FP2.

Verstappen, by contrast, had been more comfortable with the car’s overall performance before Saturday’s complaint about the gearshifts.

The team must now determine whether the latest issue requires adjustments ahead of qualifying.

When is F1 qualifying at Austin?

Qualifying for the United States Grand Prix begins on Saturday, October 24, at 16:00 local time in Austin.

The session will determine the provisional starting order for Sunday’s Grand Prix, subject to grid penalties.

The complete broadcast guide and international start times are available in where to watch United States Grand Prix qualifying live.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.