Untelevised Max Verstappen team radio emerges after ‘super frustrating’ Australian GP

Untelevised team radio from the Australian Grand Prix has revealed the moment Max Verstappen branded the F1 2026 cars “super frustrating to drive” on the cooldown lap.

Formula 1’s new era got underway at Albert Park last Sunday as pre-season favourite Mercedes secured a one-two finish with George Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli.

How Max Verstappen’s ‘super frustrating’ Australian GP unfolded over team radio

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Verstappen’s hopes of winning in Melbourne suffered a blow when he crashed at Turn 1 on his first lap of Saturday’s qualifying session.

He recovered from 20th on the grid to sixth, crossing the line just three seconds behind the McLaren of reigning world champion Lando Norris.

However, Verstappen trailed Russell’s victorious Mercedes W17 by a massive 54.617 seconds at the chequered flag.

Analysis: Australian Grand Prix

Australian GP conclusions: Formula Net Zero, Russell’s main threat, Aston Martin-Honda mistake

Winners and losers from the 2026 Australian Grand Prix (Albert Park)

Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets, Verstappen branded his race “terrible” and reiterated his criticism of the new F1 2026 rules.

He said: “I do love racing and I want it to be better than this. Let’s see what we can do.

“I hope that, even during this year, maybe we can come up with some different solutions so it becomes more enjoyable.”

Untelevised team radio footage has revealed the extend of Verstappen’s frustrations over the course of the Australian Grand Prix, with the four-time world champion conceding at the end of the race that the cars are “super frustrating to drive” at this stage of 2026.

His long-serving race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, replied by quipping that some “drivers at the front” had been left “elated by the whole thing.”

Lambiase did not name any names, but Russell later told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets in the post-race press conference that the 2026 cars are “definitely a step forward” compared to the ground-effect machines of 2022-25.

Lewis Hamilton, the Ferrari driver who finished fourth, commented earlier in the weekend that the 2026 cars “otherwise feel good” if the shortage of power is overlooked.

Team radio from Verstappen’s race has unveiled his various frustrations over the course of the afternoon at Albert Park, with the Red Bull driver aghast to have been left with an “almost empty” battery for the race start.

The full exchange with Lambiase went as follows:

Verstappen: “Mate, my battery is almost empty. It just doesn’t charge.”

Lambiase: “Yeah, copy.”

Verstappen: “Ah. The battery, mate. F**k’s sake.”

Lambiase: “Yeah. Copy, Max. Keep your head down. Today it’s not gonna matter.”

During the virtual safety car period following the retirement of his Red Bull teammate, Isack Hadjar, Verstappen had to be given a rundown of the restart procedure with the new machinery for 2026 on Lap 12.

Verstappen: “When VSC ends, I have to use the boost button?”

Lambiase: “Sorry, Max. Repeat.”

Verstappen: “When VSC ends, do I have to use the boost button?”

Lambiase: “Ah, yes please. Yeah.”

Lambiase gave Verstappen a step-by-step guide as the race remained under VSC conditions on Lap 13.

He said: “So in terms of the restart procedure, Max, as soon as the VSC ends we’ll go recharge off. And then once we get to the clear track, just press and hold the boost for two or three seconds to ensure we don’t suffer any lag.”

Ahead of the resumption a lap later, he added: “OK, so VSC ending. Recharge off, recharge off. Then when you’re ready to go, press and hold boost for two or three seconds.”

Tyres were also a frustration for Verstappen over the course of the Australian Grand Prix, with the RB22 suffering graining from an early phase of the race. An exchange on Lap 17 went as follows:

Verstappen: “Tyres are no good, mate. They’re just dying.”

Lambiase: “Copy.”

Verstappen also branded Pirelli’s rubber “terrible” when tyres were once again the subject of conversation on Lap 24.

Lambiase: “So Norris pace: 23.5. That’s probably our race today. Expecting him to stop twice. And he would have to go back to a medium tyre.”

Verstappen: “For me, all the tyres are terrible.”

That exchange came a couple of laps after Verstappen admitted to being unsure how to approach Turn 5 on Lap 22, expressing his frustration with a lack of information from the pit wall.

Verstappen: “Can you let me know what’s better at Turn 5 – full lift or no lift? I’ve no info the whole race.”

Lambiase: “OK, so either full lift or full load.”

Lambiase sounded downbeat when he remarked “I think that’s just how it is” during a pace update on Lap 27, confirming that Verstappen was 0.2 seconds slower than the race leader at that stage of the race.

A request for a switch adjustment also failed to have the desired effect.

Lambiase: “OK, Max. Last lap a tenth quicker than Norris. And only two tenths off Russell… I think that’s just how it is.”

Lambiase: “Max, Turn 13, use the push and left-hand toggle. Push toggle and left-hand toggle.”

Verstappen: “No, that doesn’t work.”

Lambiase: “OK.”

Verstappen experienced more trouble on Lap 36, reporting that the boost pattern was not performing as expected.

Verstappen: “Yeah, the boost pattern is f**ked.”

Lambiase: “Copy, standby.”

Two laps later, another switch adjustment failed to work as hoped.

Lambiase: “So, Max. This lap, on the exit of Turn 14, can you just single click the green button, please? Single click. Green button. Exit Turn 14.”

Verstappen: “Yeah, that didn’t work by the way.”

Lambiase: “Copy that, Max. Thanks.”

Verstappen reported that he was struggling with deployment issues on Lap 52, commenting: “Ah, deployment s*at itself again. F**king hell.”

Lambiase and Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, consoled Verstappen at the end of the race as he admitted to finding the car “super frustrating to drive.”

The full exchange on the cooldown lap went as follows:

Lambiase: “OK, Max. Good effort. Not a bad recovery, that. P6. And Fail 84 please, mate.”

Verstappen: “Yeah, thank you, mate. I did what I could but we just grain way too quick. And also the hard tyre was definitely worse.”

Mekies: “Thanks, Max. We take the P20 to P6. Even if it takes some frustrations, you did a good fight out there and we take the learning of this race as a group, so we go on to the next one. Well done, thank you.”

Verstappen: “Yeah, thank you, guys. You guys all worked very hard for this and you’ve done a really good job. It’s just super frustrating to drive, but thank you.”

Lambiase: “Frustrating? There’s drivers up front, Max, elated with this whole thing.”

Lambiase: “Can we have some full load, full load, please, on the way in. That’s just to help discharge the battery. And when you come to a stop, if you could idle the engine for 10 seconds, please, and then switch off.”

Verstappen: “I’m not draining the batteries.”

Lambiase: “OK, no problem.”

Verstappen’s failure to secure a podium in Australia made for his worst start to a new season since 2022, when he stopped in the closing stages of the opening race in Bahrain.

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