How Red Bull’s 2026 Power Unit is leaving Max Verstappen stranded at the race start

Max Verstappen’s 2026 Formula 1 campaign has begun in unexpectedly frustrating fashion, with the four-time world champion languishing eighth in the standings after two rounds.

A Promising recovery in Melbourne

At that stage, Red Bull appeared locked in a tight fight with McLaren for third in the competitive order. It was not a dominant picture, but neither was it a crisis.

However, even in Melbourne there were early warning signs.

Verstappen suffered a slow getaway, later citing “no battery” as the cause. The issue was not isolated to his car. Team-mate Isack Hadjar launched strongly from third and briefly challenged for the lead before suddenly backing off due to a lack of battery, eventually retiring.

Those start-line inconsistencies have since become a defining weakness.

The 2026 start procedure: a critical complication

Under the new 2026 regulations, the starting procedure has become more complex following the removal of the MGU-H. Drivers must now rev their engines significantly higher for at least 10 seconds to spool up the turbo, while also ensuring sufficient energy harvesting on the formation lap to guarantee proper acceleration off the line.

This balance has proven problematic for Verstappen.

Shanghai: a weekend that unravelled

If Melbourne hinted at underlying issues, China confirmed them.

Red Bull lacked overall pace throughout the Shanghai weekend. Verstappen qualified eighth for the sprint race, two positions ahead of Hadjar and 1.7 seconds adrift of polesitter George Russell.

“The whole day has been a disaster, pace-wise,” Verstappen admitted after qualifying. “Yeah, no grip. Honestly, I think that’s the biggest problem — no grip, no balance, just losing massive amounts of time in the corners.”

The sprint start only amplified Red Bull’s concerns. Verstappen dropped from eighth to 15th on the opening lap, ultimately recording his first non-points sprint finish since the format’s introduction in 2021.

When questioned about the recurring issue, his response was telling.

“Honestly I didn't even ask. They said they would fix it. So I hope that that will be fixed for tomorrow. Helps a bit to stay in position instead of starting the race from P20.”

But the problem persisted.

Despite again qualifying eighth for the grand prix — and with McLaren absent from the third row — Verstappen was down to 11th by lap two. The compromised start set the tone for another difficult race, marked by heavy tyre graining and a lack of competitiveness. He eventually retired from sixth on lap 46 due to a power unit failure.

“It was expected,” Verstappen said of the difficult day. “But again, the start of course was a big problem, the same as yesterday. The rest of the race was again the same as yesterday, just a lot of graining, can't push, terrible pace, terrible balance like yesterday. So, yeah, just a very bad weekend for us.”

Pressed on the third consecutive poor getaway, he was blunt:

“Here the two problems were the same. I just have no power. As soon as I release the clutch, the engine is not there.”

Reality check or track-specific struggle?

The central question now is whether Shanghai exposed Red Bull’s true competitive level — or whether the circuit’s characteristics simply amplified weaknesses that may be less severe elsewhere under the 2026 rules.

Verstappen himself was cautious in his assessment.

“I hope not, but I don't know, it's impossible to say. I never saw myself even close to Mercedes or Ferrari. But this weekend has been particularly bad.”

Hadjar’s eighth-place finish provided at least a modest consolation in China, but the broader picture remains troubling. A car lacking grip, balance and straight-line launch performance under a complex new start procedure is a combination that leaves little margin for recovery.

After two rounds, Red Bull’s early-season optimism has given way to uncertainty — and for Verstappen, the margin between recovery drives and irrelevance is narrowing alarmingly fast.