Verstappen explains 'unacceptable' downshift complaints as Red Bull battles two issues in Sao Paulo practice

Max Verstappen ended Friday’s opening practice session at Interlagos in third place, 0.2 seconds behind pacesetter Lando Norris, yet the four-time world champion left the circuit with more on his mind than lap times. Two separate technical complaints coloured his afternoon in the RB22.

The more familiar of the two was Verstappen’s recurring frustration with downshifts. Midway through FP1 he told race engineer Tom Hart — standing in again for Gianpiero Lambiase as the pair continue building their working relationship — “Unacceptable man. Unacceptable, these downshifts. What the f***!”

Speaking to media afterwards, Verstappen was candid about why he voices these complaints so openly over the radio. “With the shifts or whatever that you hear me complain about, it’s just because I’m never satisfied, because I think certain things can always be better,” he said. “I always try to fine-tune or find improvements. So, if you hear it as complaining or whatever, it’s more for me to make sure that the team is always looking into the details to try and find more lap time because I know there is more lap time in it.”

The issue is more consequential than it might appear. Poor downshift feel can destabilise the rear of the car under braking, directly affecting driver confidence and, in turn, costing lap time in the braking zones — which explains why the subject surfaces almost every weekend.

The second problem in Sao Paulo was less routine. Verstappen reported that the steering felt unusually heavy during the session, a symptom consistent with a power-steering fault. Red Bull confirmed the issue was visible in their data. Verstappen made light of it during a pitlane visit, quipping: “It’s a work-out with this steering!”

Elsewhere in the session, Lance Stroll drew attention for a different reason. Onboard footage of the Aston Martin driver showed him applying near-full steering lock through three consecutive corners — an extreme and clearly abnormal input at those points on the Interlagos circuit.

Norris led the timesheets in a McLaren running an upgraded front wing described by the team as a baseline development for 2027, underlining that both title contenders have work to do before qualifying.