Red Bull targets 2026 radio fix; lasting start solution needs 2027 changes

Red Bull wants to resolve its radio problems before the end of 2026, but a lasting fix for its poor starts will require significant design and hardware changes next year, team principal Laurent Mekies said after the United States Grand Prix. He added that the team still expects some improvement from its current package in the meantime.

That split followed Isack Hadjar’s criticism after Austin. The rookie said radio trouble left him unsure what was happening and called for a clutch redesign, arguing that it remained too sensitive even when he followed the procedures. Mekies agreed the radio problems were unacceptable for a top team, but said starts depend on more than the clutch: the engine, gearbox, clutch and turbo all play a part, as do nearly all departments outside aerodynamics.

Both Red Bull drivers had radio trouble in Austin. It was Hadjar’s first such issue this year; Verstappen had also experienced it in Singapore, when race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase could not hear him. In Austin, Verstappen could not hear stand-in Tom Hart. Mekies said Red Bull still did not fully understand the cause and acknowledged that the competition was doing a better job.

Red Bull has improved its starts since Melbourne, Mekies said, and believes it can still close the gap with current software and hardware. Racing Bulls has made better starts on average; Verstappen has said the teams’ equipment is identical and that the difference can only come from procedures. Mekies does not expect Red Bull to become the launch benchmark before the end of 2026.