Max Verstappen said he was “over frustrated” after suffering a shocking loss in the second half of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen qualified 11th at Suzuka (a circuit where he has taken pole position four times before) and described his car as “undriveable”, but Red Bull teammate Izak Hajjar was able to advance to Q3 in eighth place.
Hajar also qualified ahead of Verstappen at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but the Dutch driver suffered vehicle problems that caused a crash.
Therefore, this is the first time since Azerbaijan in September 2024 that Verstappen has lost a Grand Prix qualifying race on pure pace.
“I mean, I don’t even feel frustrated anymore. I’m over it, so it’s a little bit, but I don’t know the right English word to express it,” Verstappen said.
“To be honest, I don’t know what to make of this. I’m not angry about it, and I’m not disappointed or frustrated by what’s going on.”
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Max Verstappen struggles against Red Bull in practice 3 of the Japanese Grand Prix
Verstappen, who has only eight points after two races, is clearly struggling in the mid-high speed corners.
Red Bull brought new sidepods, floors and engine covers to the Japanese Grand Prix, and Verstappen suggested he only had new parts, but it did not improve the car’s performance.
“The car never turns in the middle of a corner, but at the same time we’ve had a lot of oversteer on entry this weekend. It’s really difficult and unpredictable,” he told Sky Sports F1.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen crashes into barrier during Q1 of Australian Grand Prix
“I thought we’d fixed it a little bit in FP3, so the car still had a lot of understeer, but in qualifying it was undriveable again, so we’ll have to look at that.”
“Also, this weekend I’m driving with a different aero package and it doesn’t seem to be working very well, so it’s not very good either.
“We’ve had some issues that we can’t go into detail here, and I know that, but sometimes it’s a little bit worse than other times, and I think we just got back to the point where we couldn’t drive in qualifying.”
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Max Verstappen retires from Chinese GP due to electrical failure in Red Bull
Mekies: “No one is happy at Red Bull”
Red Bull has provided Verstappen with a title-challenging car in each of the past five seasons, but the Dutchman looks set to have a difficult year in 2026. For Verstappen, who has been a vocal critic of the new car, that will only add to his frustration.
Team principal Laurent Mequise is hopeful that Red Bull can progress towards the top, but suggests the team does not yet understand the cause of so many balance problems.
“It’s important first of all to understand what we are trying to deal with as a limit. Then the development race will start and hopefully we can recover some places,” he told Sky Sports F1 before qualifying.
“We lacked overall performance in different areas. It’s not surprising, but it’s not a position we’re happy with. We want to be at the top with the players.”
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Max Verstappen wants to understand Red Bull better during April break before Miami
“We must remember that we pushed very late last year, but the product is very new. Certainly, at the moment we are not only lacking in performance, but also not able to extract everything we have.
“Everyone at Milton Keynes is working extremely hard to overcome these difficult moments and effectively build the foundations for the next steps.”
Asked how they can keep drivers happy, Mekies added: “No one is happy with where we are. You won’t see many happy faces.
“The drivers, the team, everyone is back in Milton Keynes and we’re pushing each other. I couldn’t be happier if we stayed in this position for too long.
“Equally, we know that development is important and there is more to extract from the package.”
Sky Sports F1 Japan GP Schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments captured by in-car cameras at the Japanese Grand Prix
Sunday, March 29th
4:30am: Preparations for the Japanese Grand Prix – Grand Prix Sunday*
6am: Japanese Grand Prix*
8am: Japanese GP reaction – checkered flag*
9am: Ted’s Notes*
*The main event will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports
This weekend, F1 will host the Japanese Grand Prix at the iconic Suzuka Circuit, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
