Red Bull critics warned despite 'very bad' performance

Red Bull simulator driver Sebastien Buemi has warned critics that the Austrian outfit must be given "time" as a new power unit supplier, despite a "very bad" Chinese Grand Prix.

Despite bringing everything in-house for 2026, external expectations of Red Bull soared after a hugely promising performance in Bahrain testing and at the season-opening race in Melbourne.

However, the second round at the Shanghai International Circuit was a disaster for the Milton Keynes-based team, which struggled for balance and speed, while also suffering from significant tyre degradation.

Max Verstappen complained several times about how difficult the RB22 was to drive in China before retiring from the race with a technical issue.

The start of the season has been highly mixed for Red Bull, but Buemi believes it must be given more time before conclusions are drawn about its car and engine.

"We came away from Melbourne — obviously Max had that issue in qualifying — but in my opinion, it was a very strong showing. [The car] was third [in the pecking order]," Buemi told RacingNews365 during an interview.

"Now we come back from Shanghai, which was very bad. So, I would give it a bit of time. You cannot expect Red Bull to directly be performing like people that have been making engines for decades.

"So you need to give it a little bit more time before we actually come to a conclusion on how far we are behind, or things like this. I find it still too early."

Red Bull hyped too early?

Red Bull's performance in testing caught many by surprise, with Mercedes having pinned it as the team to beat.

Expectations soared as a result, with the magnitude of what Red Bull has taken on as an engine manufacturer perhaps being underestimated.

Asked if Red Bull's engine has been hyped up too soon, Buemi replied: "I think, yes and no, but again, just having one bad result — does that mean we are actually really off, or does that mean things just didn't go well and we took some wrong decisions?

"So I think we need a few more races to be able to say, actually, we are clearly behind, or no, actually, we are closer than we think.

"You know, because Melbourne and Bahrain testing were quite good, in my opinion. So let's give it a bit more time before we come to a conclusion."

While Red Bull does not have long to reflect on the opening rounds due to the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend, a five-week gap now takes place following it. 

The cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has created a window of opportunity, one former F1 driver and current Formula E driver Buemi believes could be valuable.

Addressing the five-week gap after Japan, Buemi said: "If we come to the conclusion after Japan that we are really on the back foot, I think it's a good opportunity to regroup and have a bit of time to analyse and come up with some better solutions.

"If we assume that we are very good in Japan, maybe not, because when you're good, you want to just get those races in as quickly as you can.

"But I guess, for a team like Red Bull making its own engine for the first time, a good gap is not a bad thing."