Red Bull Struggles at Austrian GP Due to Track Temperature Issues

Red Bull’s disappointing qualifying performance at the Austrian GP — with Max Verstappen starting from P7 and Yuki Tsunoda from P18 — reveals fundamental weaknesses in the RB21 car.

While the yellow flag caused by Pierre Gasly was disruptive, Verstappen acknowledged that the main issue was hotter track conditions and wind — factors that severely compromised the car’s performance.

“Suddenly with the higher track temps and more wind, everything just fell apart,” Verstappen explained after the session.

Pirelli chief Mario Isola confirmed that the problem wasn’t simply overheating rear tires. According to him, several teams struggled with car balance due to focusing too much on protecting the rear tires.

Red Bull made no significant setup changes from FP3 to qualifying. However, the RB21 has an extremely narrow operating window — an issue carried over from last season that remains unresolved.

In contrast to the consistently performing McLaren MCL39, Red Bull requires very specific conditions to be competitive. With the team’s focus shifting to the 2026 car after the summer break, this issue seems unlikely to be resolved in the near term.