Max Verstappen didn’t hold back his frustration after qualifying only eighth for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, the four-time world champion delivering a blunt assessment of his Red Bull machinery.
One word summed it up: undriveable.
The Dutchman’s difficult day at the Shanghai International Circuit kicked off with a chaotic sprint race, in which a disastrous launch dropped him to the back of the field before he fought back to ninth.
Alas, the problems that plagued him in the short-form event appeared far from solved when qualifying began.
‘Every lap is like survival’
Red Bull had hoped to repeat its trademark turnaround from last season – dramatic setup changes between sessions that often transformed the car’s performance. This time, however, the gamble failed to pay off.
Despite extensive adjustments, Verstappen said the RB22 behaved exactly the same.
"We changed a lot on the car, and it makes zero difference," Verstappen explained.
"The whole weekend we've been off, the car is completely undriveable. I cannot even put a bit of a reference in. Every lap is like survival. The balance is really disconnected."
©Red Bull
Drivers dread a car that refuses to settle, and Verstappen described precisely that scenario: a machine that unpredictably swings between oversteer and understeer.
The result was a painful statistic for a team accustomed to fighting at the front – Verstappen ended up nearly a full second away from pole position, while team-mate Isack Hadjar qualified just behind him.
‘I don’t really feel in control’
When asked to pinpoint the source of the struggles, Verstappen admitted the issues appear widespread rather than isolated to a single component.
"A little bit on the engine, but that's not probably the biggest side,” he explained. “We lose so much with the car at the moment around here.
“Plus, also I cannot push at all because the car doesn't let me. So that's why I don't really feel in control of the car. It's just really not how it should be. From lap one of this new regulation I've not enjoyed this car, for sure."
Those words paint a bleak picture for Sunday’s race, and Verstappen did little to disguise his expectations. Starting eighth, he suggested progress might be limited.
A Long Road Back?
Even Verstappen’s poor sprint start had an explanation that raised further concerns for Red Bull.
"The battery was fine. But I didn't get enough power from the engine. I basically had the same problem as what Liam had more or less in Australia. I hope we can fix it. Otherwise I'm P20 again," the four-time world champion said.
©Red Bull
Red Bull had appeared more competitive just one race ago in Melbourne, but Verstappen believes that result may have flattered the team’s true pace.
"No, it's not different," he said. "I think we were eight tenths off in Melbourne on a smaller track. Here it's a lot bigger, which just exposes us a bit more.
“So, the lap time loss is bigger, but we have the same performance. I think they [Ferrari and McLaren] really messed up last weekend. That's all I can say.
"We were on the edge of what we have as a package. So we suffer for now, and then we're going to make progress anyway through the season."
For now, however, the verdict from Verstappen is unmistakably harsh – and Red Bull suddenly finds itself with serious questions to answer.
Read also:
'No grip, no balance': Verstappen calls Red Bull’s Friday ‘a disaster’
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