Verstappen explains his recurring complaints about downshifts

“Unacceptable downshifts”: Max Verstappen says his recurring radio complaints stem from his perfectionism. Verstappen showed encouraging outright speed in São Paulo’s opening F1 practice, but he was still unhappy with how his RB22 felt. Over the radio, he again raised an issue with downshifts, a subject he regularly brings up.

“Unacceptable, man. These downshifts are unacceptable. What the hell is that?” he told his race engineer, Tom Hart. Hart was standing in for Gianpiero Lambiase once again that weekend, as the pair continue to build their working relationship for the future.

Verstappen accepts that his messages may sound like complaints. He says they are driven by a desire to improve every detail and keep the team alert ahead of the moments in a weekend that matter most. “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 explained. He said he was trying to fine-tune things and make sure the team kept looking for every possible gain in lap time.

The opening practice session also put Verstappen third, just over two tenths behind Lando Norris, who was fastest in the upgraded McLaren. The car featured a new front wing described as a baseline for 2027. That early pace was not enough to settle Verstappen’s concerns about how his car felt.

Downshifts remain a recurring topic from one weekend to the next, while Verstappen also reported that the steering felt heavy. That appeared to point to a power-steering problem. Red Bull acknowledged that the issue could also be seen in the data. Verstappen joked in the pit lane: “It’s a work-out with this steering!” The steering problem made him work harder, although the most extreme example in the opening practice session was seen with Lance Stroll.

At the end of the session, Stroll and Verstappen also contested a position for the practice starts, which Stroll wanted to claim. On the downshifts, Verstappen says progress has been made internally after the difficulties Red Bull faced in Singapore and Austin. He also said the team had tried some things in Mexico and probably had only a few small settings left to get right. He considers the radio “a lot better” and was pleased that the team had heard him clearly, even if others may not have.