Verstappen jokes about ordering a new back as Red Bull's bump woes persist into Monaco

Max Verstappen raised a wry smile when asked about the Monaco Grand Prix during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal, joking he would need to ‘order a new back’ to cope with the principality’s notoriously rough street circuit. The comment was a light-hearted acknowledgement of a technical problem that has dogged Red Bull for several years and has not disappeared under Formula 1’s new regulations.

“Anywhere that it’s bumpy is going to be difficult for us,” Verstappen told Dutch media in Montreal. “That has to do with the philosophy of our car at the moment, how you set it up to take the bumps versus the amount of downforce. It’s not quite optimal yet. It was a bit better in Miami, but of course it wasn’t so bumpy there. That makes it easier for us to find the right set-up.”

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve already placed a premium on kerb-riding — particularly in qualifying — but Monaco’s street layout will amplify those demands significantly. Verstappen acknowledged as much with his tongue-in-cheek remark about his back, underlining the genuine discomfort the RB22’s ride characteristic creates for the driver.

What makes the situation notable is that the problem has persisted despite a wholesale change in technical regulations. During the ground-effect era, teams were forced to run cars extremely low and stiff, making bump sensitivity almost unavoidable. The current rules rely less heavily on ride height, yet Red Bull has not shaken the weakness.

Verstappen admitted the root cause remains elusive. “If only we knew exactly what was causing it. I do have some ideas, and that’s what we’re going to work on now,” he said, suggesting the issue may be tied to the fundamental design philosophy of the RB22 rather than a straightforward setup fix.

Team principal Laurent Mekies pushed back against the idea that the problem is structural enough to require waiting for the 2027 car. “There is nothing yet that we are seeing that cannot be fixed in 2026,” Mekies said when asked directly whether a solution was still achievable this season.

Mekies was careful to frame the challenge in terms of net performance. Red Bull’s engineers are not simply looking to smooth the ride; they want any fix to bring lap time with it rather than trade one weakness for another. “The guys are doing all the analysis in the world back at the factory to try to come up with a solution that not only fixes the issues, but fixes the issues by bringing lap time,” he said, indicating the team is unwilling to compromise its overall package in pursuit of circuit-specific gains.