Max Verstappen said he felt “terrible” driving a Red Bull and that “every lap is survival” after a tough Saturday for his team at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Verstappen painted a bleak picture of Red Bull’s struggles in the RB21 around the Shanghai International Circuit after Friday’s disappointing pace carried into both the sprint race and Sunday’s Grand Prix qualifying.
Verstappen had a poor start from 8th on the grid and finished 9th, failing to score any points in the short sprint, but was able to finish 8th again in full qualifying. This was almost a second off the pace set by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and one place ahead of teammate Izak Hajjar, who was also struggling.
It was Red Bull’s second dominant qualifying performance in as many days, despite the team making extensive changes to the car’s set-up between sessions.
And Verstappen admitted in an interview with Sky Sports F1 after his worst Shanghai qualifying since 2017:
“We flipped it around and it was exactly the same, so we expect exactly the same thing (in the race).
“There will probably be a bit of a fight with Pierre (Gathly, who qualified seventh), but that’s it. Nothing more matters.”
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Highlights of the 2026 Chinese GP qualifying.
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Highlights of the 2026 Chinese GP sprint race.
Verstappen said of his problems on track: “It’s incredibly difficult to drive. I can’t balance. I can’t lean on the car. Every lap is a battle. It’s just very difficult.”
“Every time I did another lap with a set of tires, I felt terrible. To be honest, I think tomorrow will be pretty tough.”
“Before, sometimes I would throw it (the car) upside down and it would work. Now nothing works. It’s not good at all. I can’t push. Every lap is survival for me.”
Verstappen has already said he doesn’t enjoy driving the latest generation of F1 cars ahead of 2026, adding: “I don’t enjoy the handling of the new Red Bull at all. It’s very inconsistent.”
“You can’t build a reference through qualifying. No matter what lap you do, that’s it. Can you go four tenths faster? Maybe. Can you go four tenths slower? Yes, it’s a big chance too, because it’s all over the place. It’s just incredibly difficult.”
The four-time world champion had previously made a similar assessment after dropping seven places on the first lap of a 19-lap sprint.
“There’s not much to say at the moment. Everything that could go wrong went wrong,” Verstappen said after recovering to ninth at the finish.
“The start is one of the problems we have to fix. After that the balance is all over the place. Probably the worst degradation of everyone there, which was out of control, plus there were some parts of the car that weren’t quite ready.”
“We need to pack up.”
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Max Verstappen posted dismal numbers after finishing ninth in the Chinese GP sprint race.
Teammate Hajar is still waiting for the first points of his Red Bull career after finishing 15th in the sprint after a tangle with Antonelli’s Mercedes.
“Everything went according to plan in the first sector, but then Kimi completely outdid himself and the damage remained for the rest of the race, so it was a little painful to drive,” Hajar said.
“We learned nothing.”
Sky Sports F1 China GP Schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments captured on camera at the Chinese Grand Prix
Sunday March 15th
2:35am: F1 Academy Race 2*
5:30am: Preparation for Chinese Grand Prix: Grand Prix Sunday*
7am: Chinese Grand Prix*
9am: Chinese GP reaction: Checkered flag*
10am: Ted’s Notes*
*Also held at Sky Sports Main Event
F1 will host the first sprint weekend of the 2026 season in Shanghai with the Chinese Grand Prix, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
