“It’s engine, it’s gearbox, it’s clutch, it’s many things.” That is how the Red Bull team principal described the problem that keeps costing Max Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar positions off the grid.

Laurent Mekies told Autosport the start weakness is more complex than a single component because it reaches across departments. A proper cure, he said, will require significant design and hardware changes earmarked for the 2027 car, not the one Verstappen is driving now.

Red Bull still expects to claw back incremental gains before December.

Verstappen started on the front row at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday and crossed the line third, behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Hadjar started third and lost places on the opening lap.

Read also: Julian Alvarez apologises to Atletico fans – 48 hours later, Arsenal and PSG get their answer

Antonelli 129 clear with five rounds left

Antonelli’s win pushed the 20-year-old Italian to 365 points at the top of the drivers’ championship, 129 clear of Verstappen, who sits fourth behind George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Five races remain.

In the constructors’ table, Red Bull is third on 355 points, tied with McLaren and 252 behind runaway leaders Mercedes.

‘A disaster’ on the radio

Alongside the starts, Red Bull lost radio contact with its drivers for stretches of the race. Verstappen, who was trying to flag engine braking problems to his engineer, vented afterwards.

“It’s a disaster. Yeah, it’s a disaster. It’s really frustrating, to be honest,” he told Sky Sports.

Read also: Man Utd owners waiting for Manchester City to get relegated before selling club

Red Bull put Verstappen on a two-stop plan while Antonelli went long and won on one.

Mekies said the team expects to resolve the radio issue before the season ends, though he admitted Red Bull does not yet understand what is causing it.

Hadjar called for the clutch to be redesigned, telling The Race it was too fragile and struggling to cope with temperatures.

Formula 1 heads to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday 1 November.

Read also: ‘Lucky to have you as our leader’: Tuchel salutes Ballon d’Or winner Kane

Read also: Guti on the Ballon D’or results: ‘It was orchestrated’