Red Bull experienced a relatively productive start to the 2026 Formula 1 season in Melbourne, but the team’s Friday running was complicated by an incident involving Max Verstappen during the second practice session.

The four-time world champion ran consistently near the front in both sessions, finishing third in the opening practice and sixth in FP2. However, his second outing was briefly interrupted when he ran off the circuit and travelled through the gravel, damaging parts of the RB22.

The incident affected aerodynamic components around the floor area, forcing the team to inspect and repair the car ahead of the rest of the weekend.

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan confirmed that the damage is not severe, but it will require attention from the mechanics overnight.

“I’ll say there’s enough to keep us busy. It’s recoverable. It’s nothing that drastic. It’s a bit of a thump, so we’ll tidy it up and go again,” Monaghan said, as quoted by GPBlog.com.

Despite the incident, Red Bull’s overall pace during the first day of running appeared encouraging, especially considering the team is running a completely new package under the 2026 regulations, including its own Ford-backed power unit.

Both Red Bull cars were competitive from the start of the first practice session, suggesting the RB22 has a solid baseline.

“It’s fantastic. Brand-new engine of our own, new car, new rules, and both cars went out the pit lane at the start of P1 and both were competitive straight off,” the Red Bull chief engineer explained.

The team also saw promising signs from rookie Isack Hadjar, who finished just behind Verstappen in the first session as he continues adapting to Formula 1 machinery.

“Isack is getting his head round it, is quite forthright, seems to know what he wants. Max is typically a somewhat driven, competitive soul. The car’s reasonably well balanced,” Monaghan added.