Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché has moved to quell growing concerns over Max Verstappen's state of mind, insisting the four-time world champion is not losing faith in the team despite a difficult start to the 2026 season.
Verstappen sits seventh in the standings on 76 points after nine rounds, more than 100 adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
Three retirements, persistent power unit problems, excessive tyre degradation and a car he has described as "incredibly tough to drive" have made for a deeply frustrating campaign.
At Silverstone, Verstappen spoke of being "just down on power" and having "no balance," while the RB22 has also experienced two rear wing failures in consecutive events.
Speaking to AutoHebdo, Waché acknowledged that Verstappen's sensitivity to the RB22's shortcomings goes beyond what the engineers can replicate in their tools.
"Max points out issues that affect him more than we can imagine," Waché said. "In our simulations, there are things we don't see as major problems, but for him, they are."
Waché added that the disconnect extends to the steering column issues Verstappen has battled since pre-season testing: "He feels certain things through the steering wheel, but we can't detect that in the simulator, even though the car's potential is exactly the same."
The Dutchman's struggles, combined with performance clauses in his contract that runs until 2028, have fuelled persistent speculation linking Verstappen with moves to Mercedes or McLaren.
Yet Waché is adamant the situation has not eroded the 28-year-old's belief in Red Bull's trajectory. "Max isn't frustrated because he isn't winning," he added.
"The most important thing is that he's convinced we can give him a car with which he can win. And that's indeed the case."
Originally published by RacingNews365 —
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