Red Bull fails to impress Rob Smedley in F1 2026 rating

Red Bull should be “doing so much better” in F1 2026, but instead the team has been blighted by “too many basic problems.”

That is the opinion of former long-serving Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley. Red Bull received a more positive review from former Aston Martin and Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer.

Red Bull F1 2026 so far graded by Smedley and Szafnauer

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Red Bull finds itself on the outside of the title scene looking in at the summer break. P2 for Max Verstappen in Austria and Hungary serves as his and Red Bull’s best result to date in 2026.

Even Verstappen was shocked to secure second in Hungary. After qualifying P6, but elevated to fourth on the grid by rival penalties, Verstappen had told PlanetF1.com and others that “I always feel like it’s always a different problem, and that’s for me then also harder to control.”

Red Bull had reintroduced its own take on the so-called ‘Macarena’ rear wing in Hungary, after an airflow reattachment issue triggered Verstappen’s spins in Austria and Britain.

Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, Smedley, who remains well-connected with the F1 paddock, gave Red Bull a “5.5” out of 10 for F1 2026 so far, before downgrading his ranking to a “5.”

“Red Bull should be just doing so much better,” he bluntly stated.

“They’ve had too many basic problems.

“Like Max said, there’s a different problem every weekend, or something like that. I know he was a little bit emotional about it.

“But, there is physically something different that pops out every weekend, and it’s always critical. It’s not a contained reliability or operational problem, it’s always something quite big.

“I think Red Bull should be doing so much better.”

Szafnauer gave Red Bull an improved rating of a “6” as he pointed to some of the nuances in play this season for the Austrian squad.

The team introduced its first power unit in F1 2026, developed in partnership with Ford. Despite Red Bull scepticism, the FIA did adjudge Red Bull to possess the best internal combustion engine at the first ADUO checkpoint.

Red Bull has also lost a plethora of key figures over recent years. Szafnauer gave a nod to former team principal Christian Horner, who was dismissed following the 2025 British Grand Prix, and Helmut Marko, who left Red Bull at the end of last season.

“Because of their podiums, I’m going to give them a 6,” said Szafnauer.

Red Bull has scored four podiums so far in F1 2026, all courtesy of Verstappen.

He continued: “They did their own powertrain for the first time ever. They’ve done a better job than I anticipated on the powertrain.

“They’ve lost some key individuals over the last couple of years, including a well-experienced team principal and a special advisor. Some technical people as well.

“With all that turmoil of people leaving, they are still competing at a decent level.

“I think Max probably could have won a race or two this year. I know he hasn’t, but he wasn’t that far off.”

More on Red Bull from PlanetF1.com

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Red Bull confirms reduced upgrades after ‘large deficit’ admission

Verstappen sits sixth in the Drivers’ standings at the summer break. A 2025-esque miracle comeback will be required again if the Dutchman wants to challenge for his fifth world championship. The gap to P1 Kimi Antonelli is 110 points.

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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