Max Verstappen has faced persistent issues with slow race starts in the 2026 Formula 1 season, dropping positions at the beginning of races in Melbourne and Shanghai. The Red Bull driver, currently eighth in the standings, attributed the problems to a lack of battery power and grip. These setbacks contributed to non-points finishes and a retirement in China.
Max Verstappen endured a challenging start to the 2026 F1 season. In the Melbourne opener, he recovered to sixth after starting 20th due to a Q1 crash. However, a slow getaway from the grid, caused by “no battery,” affected both Red Bull cars, with teammate Isack Hadjar also suffering before retiring. Verstappen hoped for a fix ahead of the China round. The new 2026 regulations, without the MGU-H, require drivers to rev engines higher for at least 10 seconds to spool the turbo and harvest energy on the formation lap for better acceleration. In Shanghai, Verstappen qualified eighth for the sprint race, 1.7 seconds off polesitter George Russell. He described the day as “a disaster, pace-wise,” citing “no grip, no balance, just losing massive amounts of time in the corners.” From eighth, he dropped to 15th on the opening lap, marking his first non-points sprint finish since 2021. Post-sprint, he noted: “Honestly I didn't even ask. They said they would fix it. So I hope that that will be fixed for tomorrow.” The issue persisted in the grand prix, where he fell to 11th by lap two despite qualifying eighth. Running sixth, he retired on lap 46 due to a power unit failure. “It was expected,” he said. “But again, the start of course was a big problem... I just have no power. As soon as I release the clutch, the engine is not there.” Hadjar scored points in eighth. Verstappen questioned if Shanghai's pace deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari was track-specific, saying: “I hope not, but I don't know.”