Red Bull heavier even than Alpine, the hidden detail behind Verstappen’s struggles

A photo taken in China reveals the issue holding back Red Bull and Verstappen early in the 2026 F1 season

After the strong momentum with which he closed last season, many expected to see Verstappen fighting for top positions again in 2026. Instead, the early races of the new Formula 1 season have shown that Red Bull is considerably behind the leading pair represented by Mercedes and Ferrari.

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The RB22 appears to struggle both in qualifying and race conditions, showing a significant level of tire degradation. This prevents the four-time world champion and teammate Isack Hadjar from challenging their rivals effectively.

Regarding the cause of this gap, the power unit does not seem to be the main culprit. The partnership between Red Bull Powertrains and Ford looks to have started on the right foot, despite some minor reliability issues related to the introduction of the new technical regulations.

Revealing the reason for Red Bull’s early 2026 delay

More clarity has come from some photographs taken by attentive fans during the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix weekend. These images, which quickly went viral on social media, show the moment FIA technicians weighed the RB22 driven by Isack Hadjar.

It emerges that the Red Bull car would weigh around 716.5 kg without the driver, but including ballast to manage the driver’s weight. In Hadjar’s case 70.5 kg plus 11.5 kg of ballast, the total would reach 787 kg.

In the same context, McLaren’s car weighed 697.5 kg without the driver, highlighting a difference of roughly 19 kg compared to Verstappen and Hadjar’s Red Bull.

This overweight issue seems to be a key factor in the delay preventing Verstappen from competing for top spots. It is worth noting that managing overweight is a common challenge teams face at the start of a new cycle. Resolving it will depend on the arrival of the first upgrades. Only then will it be possible to make a fair judgment on Red Bull and any potential mistakes made.

Image source for article cover: Red Bull.