Chinese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen describes each lap in Red Bull as ‘a matter of survival’ following an eighth-place qualifying result.
SHANGHAI, China — Max Verstappen stated that every lap feels like a struggle with his Red Bull currently, as he finds it difficult to manage the car, a scenario that is “just really not how it should be.”
Verstappen qualified in a distant eighth position for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, nearly a full second behind Kimi Antonelli’s pole time.
The four-time world champion will start ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar, marking a challenging beginning to the week for Red Bull.
Neither driver earned points in Saturday morning’s sprint race as well.
“Every lap is like survival,” a dejected Verstappen remarked on Saturday following qualifying. When asked about his prospects in the grand prix, he responded: “Where I’m at? It’s not going to be a fun race.”
After sprint qualifying on Friday, Verstappen described his car as “undriveable” and mentioned that he had “never experienced anything this bad” behind the wheel.
play0:30Verstappen reflects on ‘disaster’ first day of Chinese Grand Prix
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris discuss their experiences after qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race.
Speaking a day later, he elaborated on the disconnect he feels with his vehicle.
When questioned whether the issues stemmed from the engine, the car, or a combination of both, he replied: “A little bit, of course, from the engine side, but that’s not probably the biggest factor. I mean, we are losing so much from the car at the moment around here.”
“Additionally, I cannot push at all, because the car doesn’t allow me to. That’s why I don’t really feel in control of the car. I mean, it’s just really not how it should be.”
Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of F1’s new vehicles, which incorporate a contentious 50-50 division between combustion and electrical power.
“From the first lap of this new regulation, I’ve not enjoyed this car, that’s for sure,” he reiterated in his post-qualifying remarks when asked if this is the worst he has ever felt about his car.
Verstappen indicated that his discomfort with the car leaves him uncertain about how much performance potential remains untapped.
“I cannot push. I am not enjoying it at all,” the four-time champion told Sky Sports F1. “It’s just very inconsistent. I cannot establish a reference during qualifying. So whatever lap I complete, I’m like, ‘all right, well, that’s it.’
“Can I go four tenths faster? Maybe. Can I go four tenths slower? Yeah, there’s a significant chance of that as well because it’s just all over the place. So yeah, it’s just incredibly difficult.”
Verstappen does not perceive any positive developments for this weekend.
The Dutchman experienced a sluggish start in Saturday’s sprint, which forced him to recover from the back of the pack.
“They said they would address it, so I hope that will be resolved for tomorrow,” he stated. “It helps a bit to maintain position, rather than starting the race from P20. Realistically, that’s where we are competing, P7, P8.
I hope that at other tracks we can be a bit closer, but we would still likely be a P4 team at the moment if we don’t make any changes to the car.”
Source: espn.com
