Max Verstappen experienced another complicated day in China, finishing the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Chinese GP in only eighth position on the grid. The four-time champion declared himself frustrated with the performance of the Red Bull Racing car, stating that every lap has become a matter of survival.
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The Dutch driver finished the session one second behind pole position, Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, in a weekend marked by grip problems and driving difficulties. The situation repeated itself a few hours earlier during the Sprint race, when Verstappen dropped to the back of the pack after a poor start, only managing to recover to ninth position. During the short race, he faced car control issues and even went off track during a battle with teammate Isack Hadjar.
After the end of ‘parc fermé’, Red Bull made significant changes to the car, trying to improve its behavior. However, Verstappen revealed that the changes had no effect: “We changed a lot on the car, but it made no difference at all. The whole weekend has been complicated. The car is completely unstable. Every lap is like survival, I can’t push because the car doesn’t allow it. I don’t feel in control, it’s really not how it should be. Since the first lap with this new setup, I’m not enjoying it,” declared the Dutchman.
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When questioned about the origin of the difficulties, Verstappen explained that he suffers from oversteer and understeer at the same time, compromising performance on every lap.
The four-time champion also showed caution regarding Sunday’s race, making it clear that he does not expect a satisfactory performance: “I hope that maybe at other circuits we can get a bit closer, but even then we would always be the fourth-place team if we don’t change anything on the car. Where I am, it’s not going to be a fun race,” he added.
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