The Dutch driver analyzed the difficult Saturday in Shanghai and acknowledged that the behavior of the Red Bull prevents him from competing at the level of the leaders. Verstappen explained that the car is unpredictable and difficult to control.
Saturday at the Chinese Grand Prix left Red Bull in an unusual position on the Formula 1 grid. Max Verstappen finished qualifying far from the benchmark times and offered a direct assessment of the car’s performance during the weekend.
The Dutchman explained that the main problem with the RB22 is the lack of consistency in its behavior. According to him, the car can react differently from one corner to another, making it difficult to put together a competitive lap.
Verstappen was especially clear when describing his feelings behind the wheel. “I can’t do anything,” he said while analyzing the car’s lack of performance in qualifying. For the driver, the difficulty is not limited to a specific sector of the circuit, but affects the overall balance of the car.
The world champion also emphasized that the team tried different setup changes during the weekend. However, those adjustments did not manage to improve the car’s behavior on track.
“We change a lot on the car and it makes zero difference,” the Dutchman explained when referring to the modifications made between sessions. According to him, even significant setup changes ended up producing very similar sensations behind the wheel.
One of the biggest problems for Verstappen is the lack of stability. The driver explained that the car does not offer a clear base on which to build a fast lap.
“The car is completely impossible to drive,” he said while describing the level of difficulty he encounters in each qualifying attempt. For the Dutchman, the car does not allow him to fully trust the grip or the balance through the corners.
That behavior is also reflected in the variability of the laps. Verstappen explained that performance can change considerably between consecutive attempts.
“It’s very inconsistent. I can’t lean on the car,” he added while explaining why it is so difficult to find the car’s limit.
The driver also highlighted that the team went as far as radically modifying the car’s setup in the hope of changing its behavior. However, the result was practically the same.
“We completely turned the car upside down and it was exactly the same,” he said while describing the team’s attempt to find a solution during the weekend.
That diagnosis reflects the driver’s frustration after a qualifying session in which Red Bull finished far from the pace of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren.
Beyond Saturday’s result, Verstappen explained that the team will need to analyze the weekend’s data in detail to understand what is causing the lack of balance.
In a championship where small technical differences can create large gaps on track, finding stability in the car’s behavior will be key to recovering competitiveness.
With the race still to be contested in Shanghai, Red Bull’s immediate challenge will be to turn that technical analysis into solutions that allow the RB22 to deliver more consistent performance during the rest of the weekend.