Verstappen says Red Bull’s radio and start problems keep recurring

Max Verstappen finished third at the United States Grand Prix, but Red Bull’s recurring radio problems remained a source of frustration. Asked after the race how frustrating it was to face the issue for a second time, he corrected that premise: it had happened many times this year, he said. He joked: “Maybe we should just start communicating in sign language!”

The problem affected both Red Bull drivers at the bumpy Circuit of the Americas. Verstappen struggled to hear Tom Hart, who was standing in as his race engineer for the weekend. Team-mate Isack Hadjar also reported poor radio coverage; he said he could not hear his engineers properly and left the pits with the wrong engine setting, potentially as a result.

Starts were the other recurring weakness. Verstappen said his Austin launch was normal for Red Bull this year, when the team’s average had been consistently below par; he said he did not lose a position at the start.

Other frustrations he named were specific to Austin: the tyre strategy, a slow pitstop and inconsistent power-unit behaviour. The power unit behaved differently from corner to corner, lap after lap, he said, making it impossible to build a rhythm.