Max Verstappen admitted Oracle Red Bull Racing are still struggling to unlock the RB22’s full potential around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after qualifying sixth for the 2026 Canadian GP.
After a difficult Sprint Qualifying session on Friday, Verstappen and Red Bull continued searching for answers ahead of the F1 Canadian GP qualifying session, but the Dutchman revealed the team remained trapped in a difficult compromise between improving the car’s ride quality and maintaining overall downforce.
“Not really, you just go in circles,” Verstappen explained when asked whether setup changes had improved the car compared to Sprint Qualifying.
“You improve the bumps, the kerbs, but then you lose downforce on the car. That’s been a bit of an issue in qualifying, plus very confusing straight-line speed.”
Verstappen admitted Red Bull’s performance fluctuated unpredictably throughout the session, making it difficult to fully understand where the RB22 stood relative to its rivals.
“It just seemed like it was not working for me, and then suddenly on the final lap, I have no idea where that lap came from, so it’s a bit confusing.”
Comparing Montreal to Miami
The reigning World Champion compared Montreal’s demanding characteristics to the smoother Miami circuit, where Red Bull had previously looked significantly more competitive.
“It’s a completely different track,” he explained. “This is way more bumpy, very low grip, very hard to switch on tyres there. It’s super hot, tyres are overheating, and the track is actually quite smooth still.”
Verstappen suggested Red Bull’s current package performs best on smoother circuits, while both the chassis and power unit become increasingly difficult to optimise once operating outside their ideal setup window.
“I mean, the car probably is quite good on smooth tracks. Bumpy tracks are not great yet. I guess the same goes with the power unit. If it works well, it’s not too bad. If you’re a bit out of the window, it’s still a little bit… Fragile is not the right word. To optimise it, to make it work, is a small win. Yeah, probably a bit sensitive.”
Verstappen looking ahead to the F1 Canadian GP
Attention now turns towards Sunday’s race, with wet weather forecast to threaten an already difficult challenge around the low-grip Montreal circuit.
Verstappen warned tyre warm-up could become a major issue should rain arrive during the Grand Prix, especially under Safety Car conditions.
“Yeah, that was already hard enough on the track where you can switch on the tyres. It’s not going to be easy here. Even on slicks, you barely switch them on at the right time. So tomorrow on wet tyres, I think it will be a big struggle for all of us to make it work.”
The Dutchman added that neutralisations during the race could make tyre management even more complicated.
“Yeah, it’s going to be really hard,” he said. “It’s almost like when there is an incident, you don’t want the safety car. You just want a VSC or something for us to at least get a bit more speed in other places. It’s going to be tricky.”
While drivers had already discussed the concerns during Friday evening’s briefing, Verstappen admitted uncertainty still remains over how the FIA and teams will manage conditions if heavy rain arrives on race day.
“We had some chats about it, so let’s see what they come up with. Or if we can improve or help the situation a bit. But when the tyres don’t work, they don’t work. If they’re too cold, then everyone will struggle with the same thing. So it’s going to be hard for everyone.”
“Maybe, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I cannot speak for them [the FIA]. It just depends on, hopefully, everything just goes well tomorrow.”
