Red Bull acknowledges that the enigmatic problem with Max Verstappen's car cannot be completely resolved until 2027.

When Motorsport.com inquired about these concerns with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, the Frenchman responded: "I don't think we are going to clarify what it is or how we plan to resolve it. However, I believe Max is correct in noting that there is a degree of car performance degradation occurring throughout a session and a race."

"He is also right to point out that this is not a recent problem. We are not ignoring it. We have been attempting to address it in various ways."

"Clearly, I view it as a complex issue. Otherwise, we would have figured it out by now. Yet, everyone is being constructive about it, and we are striving to make incremental progress to ultimately uncover the root of the issue."

Verstappen said at Monza that the Red Bull car is “made of paper” after he suffered from “car degradation” during qualifying

Regarding those incremental improvements, Mekies pointed out that several insights were gained on the Saturday in Monza, when Verstappen expressed his frustrations, and Red Bull attempted to implement those insights in Madrid. The issue did not arise during F1’s initial visit to the Madring, or at least not to the same degree.

"This weekend, we made a couple of positive strides in that regard," Mekies noted. "It will never tell the whole story, but we have certainly progressed in our understanding through experience. We don't have all the answers for the car just yet, but I believe we are moving in the right direction. It will be a slow process, likely stretching into next year."

In acknowledging this, Mekies confirms what Verstappen had suggested earlier: some challenges simply cannot be resolved this season and will necessitate more substantial alterations to the design and chassis for 2027.

The reality that Red Bull is constrained in its options for the remainder of this year is partly due to the impending budget cap and the fact that the focus has already begun to shift towards 2027, as well as the limitations on what modifications can be made to the RB22.

If Verstappen does not win a Grand Prix this season, it will be the first year since 2015 without a race win

Mekies therefore acknowledges that the issue may manifest more frequently in the remaining races this season, although he refrains from elaborating on the specifics of the underlying causes.

"Look, I'm not going to provide additional details here. But as I mentioned, it's true that some aspects of the car's performance sometimes do not maintain their optimal level. And that affects lap times significantly.

"So, it's something we [need to address]. There's no doubt that everyone is focused on improving that for the future."

For this season, Verstappen understands that there is little left for him to contend for. The Dutchman recognized early on that he is not a participant in the title race and can only aspire for a race victory.

Should he fall short of achieving that, it would mark the first time since 2015, when Verstappen was still with Toro Rosso – now Racing Bulls. Since his ascent to Red Bull in May 2016, the Dutchman has secured at least one Grand Prix win each year.