Shanghai, China — max verstappen He said that at the moment his every lap with Red Bull is survival mode because he cannot control the car, a situation which is “really not the way it should be.”
Verstappen qualified eighth for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, almost a full second off Kimi Antonelli’s pole time.
The four-time world champion will be ahead of his teammate isaac hadjar It was a very difficult start to the week for Red Bull.
Neither of them scored a point in the Saturday morning sprint race.
“Every lap is like survival,” said a disappointed Verstappen on Saturday after qualifying. When asked what he could do in the Grand Prix, he replied: “Where am I? It won’t be a fun race.”
On Friday after sprint qualifying, Verstappen said that his car was “undriveable” and that he had “never had such a bad thing” to drive.
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Verstappen reflects on ‘disaster’ on first day of Chinese Grand Prix
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris speak after qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race.
Speaking 24 hours later, he spoke about the alienation he felt with his car.
Asked whether it was the engine, the car, or a little of both, he replied: “A little bit, of course, on the engine side, but it’s probably not the biggest side. I mean, we’re losing a lot from the car at the moment.
“Also, I can’t push at all, because the car won’t let me. So I don’t really feel in control of the car. I mean, it’s not really how it should be.”
Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of F1’s new cars, which have a controversial 50-50 split between combustion and electric power.
“From the first stage of this new regulation, I did not enjoy this car, that’s for sure,” he reiterated in his post-qualifying session in response to a question on whether this was the worst experience he has ever had with his car.
Verstappen said that his lack of comfort with the car meant he did not know how much performance there was to unlock with the car.
“I can’t push. I’m not enjoying it at all,” the four-time champion told Sky Sports F1. “It’s absolutely inconsistent. I can’t make any references through qualifying. So every lap I do, I say, ‘Okay, okay, that’s it.’
“Can I go four-tenths faster? Maybe. Can I go four-tenths slower? Yes, there’s a big chance too because it’s everywhere. So yes, it’s incredibly difficult.”
Verstappen doesn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel for this weekend.
The Dutchman was slow off the line in Saturday’s sprint, causing him to struggle at the rear end of the field.
“They said they’ll fix it, so I’m hoping it’s fixed for tomorrow,” he said. “Instead of starting the race from P20, it helps a little bit to stay in position. Realistically, that’s where we’re fighting anyway, P7, P8.
I hope that in other tracks we can be a little closer, but if we don’t change anything in the car, we will always be a P4 team at the moment.”
