Mekies: Verstappen flagged an RB22 issue after three laps at the Barcelona winter test

Max Verstappen stepped out of Red Bull’s new RB22 after three laps at a Barcelona winter test and told the team something was wrong, team principal Laurent Mekies says. Mekies recalled that the team could see no problem in its data, despite the car’s thousands of sensors and the algorithms and mathematical models—some based on AI—used to interpret its behaviour. He described the test as bitterly cold in January.

Mekies said Verstappen had challenged a change to a component he considered the best part of the Red Bull that preceded the RB22. During the interview, Verstappen added that the team had fixed it.

Mekies said Verstappen immediately distrusted that specific component. The episode, he said, highlighted the driver’s crucial role alongside speed.