Red Bull reveal key reason behind ongoing Max Verstappen F1 struggles

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has detailed a key reason why the team and Max Verstappen are struggling to extract performance from the RB22 F1 car.

The Milton Keynes-based squad is currently enduring its worst start to an F1 season since 2015, with just 16 points on the board after three races, with Verstappen growing increasingly unsettled owing to his dislike of the new rules.

Although Verstappen is struggling with the engine regulations, Red Bull's chassis also has problems, with the team fourth in the pecking order behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren and ahead of Alpine.

However, Verstappen was not able to pass Alpine's Pierre Gasly during the Japanese GP for seventh place, after which Mekies explained how the team was struggling with mid-corner balance, which came as a surprise.

"We certainly think in China we made a step back," Mekies told media, including RacingNews365.

"We measure that not only against the top guys, but also against the midfield that got closer to us, so for sure, we made a step back. 

"I don't think it is a product of the number of corners, it is somehow that there is a layer where, in certain cornering speed and cornering conditions, we lose some performance compared to what our package is supposed to give us. 

"So this is what we need to work on. 

"It was a bit better in Japan compared to China, especially in the race, but we were a distant fourth, and it doesn't interest anyone to be a distant fourth.

"But the overall gap is about a second to the best guys, and half a second to the best Ferrari is where we are."