Untelevised Max Verstappen team radio emerges after Brazilian GP ‘disaster’
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in the garage at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix
Untelevised team radio from the Brazilian Grand Prix has revealed the moment Max Verstappen branded the Red Bull RB22 “a disaster to drive” at Interlagos, adding he did “85 per cent of the race with a f**ked car.”
Verstappen finished second at Interlagos last weekend as McLaren driver Lando Norris claimed a third victory of the season.
Max Verstappen team radio after Red Bull ‘drove like a disaster’
After starting from the back of the grid due to an engine change, Verstappen took advantage of wet conditions to collect an eighth consecutive podium finish, a run stretching back to the Italian Grand Prix in early September.
Verstappen’s recovery to the podium came despite the four-time world champion battling a handling problem with the Red Bull shortly after his first pit stop, which saw him change from intermediate to soft tyres, on Lap 17.
Within nine laps of his stop, Verstappen was heard reporting to his new race engineer Tom Hart – who will take over from McLaren-bound GianPiero Lambiase on a full-time basis from the F1 2027 season – that he was struggling to turn the car in high-speed corners.
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The full exchange from Lap 26 went as follows:
Verstappen: “I can barely steer in the high speed. What the f**k?”
Hart: “Yeah, so the balance has shifted more than intended between stops.”
Verstappen: “Yeah, how? How did that happen?”
Hart: “Still awaiting more feedback.”
Hart: “OK, Max, so it looks like we’ve lost some rear load. We’ll correct it at the pit stop. Until now, you’re doing the right thing with the tools.”
Verstappen: “Some rear load? It’s undriveable now.”
On Lap 28, Verstappen reported that he could “barely f*king steer” when Hart asked about changing his front wing flap at his next stop.
Hart: “Let’s have a flap update then, please, Max.”
Verstappen: “Well, I can barely f**king steer, so I don’t know. Four or five? Six?”
Hart: “Copy.”
Four laps later, Verstappen reported that he was struggling to keep the throttle planted at Turn 13, a minor left-hand kink on the exit of Juncao.
Verstappen: “Are we serious, bro? Even this car in 13 is barely flat.”
In an exchange that made the Formula 1 world feed, Verstappen was insistent on Lap 42 that he had no chance of following Norris’s plan to go to the end without a further pit stop.
Hart: “Max, that’s 25 laps complete on this set. There’s 29 remaining, Norris is talking about going to the end. What are your thoughts?”
Verstappen: “No, no. We cannot.”
Hart: “Yeah, understood.”
Verstappen: “I really don’t think we can.”
Hart: “Yeah, that’s fine… we agree with you.”
Verstappen: “Especially not with my car!”
As the second pit stop approached, Hart checked on Lap 43 that Verstappen was still happy with a front wing adjustment of six clicks.
Hart: “And flap update. Are you still happy down six?”
Verstappen: “Mate, I have no rear load. And I’m still degging the front tyre. So you tell me.”
Hart: “Yeah, OK.”
Verstappen: “Yeah but this stint for sure on this [inaudible] is a disaster. So [inaudible].”
Verstappen pitted for another set of softs on Lap 45, with Hart confirming the front wing adjustment.
Hart: “OK, Max, so that’s P5. There’s 25 laps remaining. We’ve taken the front wing out, so let’s try and manage the balance with tools. Look after the tyres with the tools.”
Verstappen: “How much did you take out?”
Hart: “Six clicks.”
Verstappen appeared frustrated by a lack of information from the pit wall over the cars around him, with the four-time world champion requesting an update.
Verstappen: “I would like to know the gaps, mate, ahead. What are they [inaudible]?”
Hart: “Piastri P4, nine seconds; Antonelli P3, 18 seconds. Norris P1 has pitted. Hadjar is now race leader, he stayed out. Norris has come out behind Piastri.”
Verstappen made a third stop on Lap 62, swapping softs for intermediates as the rain returned at Interlagos.
On Lap 64, he reported a new issue with engine clipping.
Verstappen: “I have very aggressive clipping, guys. What the f**k is going on?”
Hart: “Engine 14, position one.”
A lap later, he claimed that the car was once again not handling properly. An exchange beginning on Lap 65 went as follows:
Verstappen: “Guys. I think you f**ked up the front wing again. I can barely steer in the high speed. It’s a joke!”
Hart: “Display five, position eight, Max. Display five, position eight.”
Verstappen: “Yeah. I know [inaudible] something wrong with the car since I’ve been on softs.”
Verstappen: “Yeah [inaudible] I don’t know [inaudible] there’s something really wrong, guys.”
Verstappen: “[Inaudible] You did in the pit stop.”
Hart: “Yeah. We’ll have to review post-race, Max.”
Verstappen crossed the line 14.6 seconds adrift of Norris, with the Dutchman airing his frustration on the cooldown lap.
Hart: “OK, Max, that’s chequered flag. The balance wasn’t what you wanted. Still a lot to understand in where that’s gone wrong.”
Verstappen: “Yeah. My God. Doing 85 per cent of the race with a f**ked car. Of course P2 is nice, but not in this way. I’m sorry, but what a disaster to drive. Unbelievable. I’ve never experienced something like this in the wet or in the dry. Really, really bad.”
Laurent Mekies: “Understood, Max. All clear. We saw you fighting with the car all the way through. Well done to get a P2 in these conditions and I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of it. You got the tricky car in all possible conditions, but you got the points back, which are important. Thank you.”
Verstappen: “Double podium, right?”
Hart: “Yes. Isack finished P3.”
Verstappen: “Yeah, that’s a good effort.”
Hart, who has served as Verstappen’s performance engineer since 2020, is set to remain race engineer for next weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix as part of Red Bull’s handover process.
Lambiase is then expected to return for the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi ahead of completing his move to McLaren.
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