RB22 lockup sends Verstappen to back of grid

Max Verstappen’s Friday troubles at the Australian Grand Prix left Red Bull scrambling to repair an RB22 that sustained floor and underside damage. During FP2 Verstappen ran wide at Turn 10, went onto grass and gravel and shed pieces of the car’s floor and bodywork before keeping the car pointing and completing another lap to return to the pits; he completed just 13 laps in the session and ended the day sixth overall. Red Bull engineering chief Paul Monaghan described the damage as “enough to keep us busy” but recoverable, and praised the new Ford-backed power unit as “brand spanking new” and notably reliable.

The on-track damage compounded earlier performance issues. Verstappen’s FP2 running had been compromised by an electronic control-box problem that kept him off track for the first 25 minutes, and he posted the sixth-fastest time, about 0.637 seconds behind FP2 leader Oscar Piastri and roughly six-tenths adrift of the quickest cars overall. Sky Sports analyst Anthony Davidson suggested the Turn 9/10 off was a momentary lapse as drivers adjust to roughly 30% less downforce under the 2026 rules; Verstappen said the rule changes were complex and that fans need a “degree” to understand them. Team mate Isack Hadjar and Red Bull engineers also reported deployment and consistency questions and cautioned it was too early to judge the pecking order.

The situation worsened in qualifying when Verstappen lost control of the RB22’s rear while braking into Turn 1 and suffered a Q1 collision that brought out red flags. He reported a locked rear axle, climbed from the car largely unhurt and had not set a timed lap before the stoppage; he is set to start at the rear of the field. That result deprived Red Bull of further track time to inspect and prepare the repaired RB22 and will shape the team’s preparations for the race.