Marko’s blunt Newey verdict as Red Bull takes ‘wrong direction’

Helmut Marko says Red Bull has gone in the “wrong direction” with the development of the RB22, but he does not believe it is a consequence of losing design guru Adrian Newey.

Red Bull arrived at Monza for round 13 of the F1 2026 championship chasing its first Grand Prix victory of the campaign.

Helmut Marko explains Red Bull RB22 development problems

Although Red Bull has scored five podium finishes, with Max Verstappen claiming four top-three results while Isack Hadjar’s Monaco Grand Prix podium was confirmed on Friday, neither driver has stood on the top step.

The team’s technical director Pierre Wache admitted last month that Red Bull is finding new problems almost every weekend.

“With this new car, you see a different problem every time you go to the track, when you put the car on the ground. We try to maximise it, but no confidence,” said Wache.

Verstappen was left to lament a lack of balance in Friday’s practice at Monza, where he reported that “it’s like I’m driving on ice”.

It was suggested to Wache that Red Bull’s latest updates, with the team introducing four new parts at Monza, had created the problem.

“No,” he replied: “I mean that we will evaluate some components and afterwards we have some choices to make between different components [that we have] since a few races. I think we have to make some choices on that.”

Verstappen’s complaints continued on Saturday, with the Red Bull driver P6 in qualifying. “We have some components on the car that break or seize up,” Verstappen said. “I’ve had that feeling quite often this season.

“It happened between the third free practice session and qualifying. Then the car doesn’t handle the bumps and kerbs well anymore. It just bounces around a lot more, and we end up losing lap time.”

Marko believes the team has taken a wrong step with the development of the RB22.

F1 2026: The season’s winners and losers

The results of the F1 2026 championship

The F1 2026 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship standings

And it’s a problem that is compounded by Formula 1’s budget cap, which limits a team’s ability to throw money at a problem.

“They didn’t start so badly, but then things went in the wrong direction,” he told OE24.

“If you develop in the wrong direction twice, it becomes financially difficult with the cost cap regulations.”

He, though, rubbished the suggestion that Red Bull is missing its former design guru Adrian Newey, who now heads up Aston Martin.

Newey officially left Red Bull in the first quarter of 2025 after nearly two decades, with Marko also departing the team at the end of last year.

“The crew already proved last year, when they narrowly lost the world championship without Newey, that they can do something,” he said.

“But you know,” he continued, “I’m just a spectator from afar.”

Red Bull sits fourth in the Constructors’ Championship on 189 points, 236 behind championship leader Mercedes.

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