Red Bull left searching for answers after difficult Barcelona Friday

Verstappen struggles to find confidence in the RB22

Red Bull’s opening day at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix delivered more questions than answers, with Max Verstappen unable to place the RB22 among the clear front-running threat in either practice session. After admitting on Thursday that he was unsure how competitive the car would be at this circuit, Friday did little to ease that uncertainty.

Verstappen ended FP1 fourth, almost seven tenths away from George Russell’s benchmark, and the picture on track was as concerning as the timesheet. The car looked unsettled across the lap, with Verstappen reporting a lack of grip, inconsistent balance and limited confidence in both high- and low-speed corners. For a fuller picture of how the competitive order began to form, see our report on Russell leading a very hot Barcelona GP FP1 session.

“We didn’t feel that comfortable in the high or low speed today,” Verstappen said. “We were lacking grip, feeling in the car and balance, so that is something we are going to try to work on overnight.”

He also pointed to the tyre compounds as a wider challenge, noting that low grip left cars drifting around the circuit. But while he accepted the conditions were difficult for everyone, Verstappen was clear that Red Bull’s balance problems were more pronounced.

FP2 brings no clear breakthrough

FP2 did not produce the step Red Bull needed. Verstappen slipped to sixth with a 1:16.321, still well adrift of the McLarens and Mercedes, while the RB22 continued to look uncomfortable in warm, windy conditions.

The Dutchman was also the only driver to run the hard tyre during the session, making his lap time less directly representative. Even so, the choice underlined Red Bull’s willingness to investigate alternative directions for Sunday rather than simply chase headline pace on Friday.

“We are not fighting up there at the front, but we will work on things overnight and see what we can improve on ahead of tomorrow’s Qualifying,” Verstappen added.

Iwasa and Hadjar face adaptation challenge

Ayumu Iwasa handled FP1 duties in Isack Hadjar’s car as part of Red Bull’s rookie-driver programme and completed a clean session in 14th. His priority was adaptation, mileage and feedback after stepping into the new car under different regulations.

Hadjar returned for FP2 and finished 10th, but admitted missing the morning session left him short of rhythm. “We completed our run plan and gathered some good data, but there’s a lot of work to do overnight,” he said.

His assessment matched Verstappen’s: Red Bull is not yet close enough to the top group. The overnight response now becomes critical before qualifying.