Max Verstappen said driving his Red Bull felt “awful” and that “every lap is survival” after a chastening Saturday for the team at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Verstappen painted a bleak picture of Red Bull’s struggles with their RB21 around the Shanghai International Circuit after their disappointing pace from Friday carried into both the Sprint race and main Qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
A poor start from eighth on the grid saw Verstappen finish ninth and fail to score points in the short-form Sprint before he qualified eighth again in full Qualifying, almost one second off the pace set by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and one place ahead of similarly-struggling team-mate Isack Hadjar.
Red Bull’s second underwhelming qualifying in as many days came despite the team making wholesale changes to their car’s set-up between sessions.
And speaking to Sky Sports F1 after his worst Shanghai qualifying since 2017, Verstappen admitted: “It was the same.
“We turned it upside down and it was exactly the same, so I’m expecting exactly the same [in the race].
“Where we are probably fighting a bit with Pierre [Gasly, who qualified seventh]. But, that’s it. Not more in it.”
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Highlights of the Sprint race from the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.
Describing the issues he was having on the track, Verstappen said: “Incredibly tough to drive. There’s no balance. I cannot lean on the car. Every lap is a fight. It’s just very difficult.
“Every time I did another lap on a tyre set, it felt awful. I honestly think it will be quite tough tomorrow.
“In the past, sometimes we throw it [the car] upside down and it worked. Now, nothing works. It’s just not nice. I cannot push. Every lap is survival for me.”
Verstappen, who has already said he is not having fun driving the latest-generation of F1 car for 2026, added on the new Red Bull’s handling: “I’m not enjoying it at all. It’s very inconsistent.
“I cannot build a reference through qualifying. Whatever lap I do, that’s it. Can I go four tenths faster? Maybe. Can I go four tenths slower? Yes, that’s a big chance as well because it’s all over the place. Just incredibly difficult.”
The four-time world champion had earlier offered a similar assessment after a 19-lap Sprint saw him lose seven places on the first lap.
“I have not a lot of words at the moment. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong,” said Verstappen after recovering to ninth at the finish.
“The start is one problem we have to fix. After that, the balance is all over the place. Probably the highest degradation of everyone out there, which is uncontrollable, plus some other bits on the car that were not well prepared.
“We need to get our stuff together.”
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Max Verstappen cut a bleak figure after finishing ninth in the Chinese GP Sprint race.
Team-mate Hadjar is still awaiting the first points of his Red Bull career after finishing 15th in the Sprint following a tangle with Antonelli’s Mercedes.
“Everything went to plan for the first sector, then Kimi completely outbraked himself and we had damage for the remainder of the race, so it was a bit painful to drive,” said Hadjar.
“We didn’t learn anything.”
Sky Sports F1’s Chinese GP schedule
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A look back at the wildest moments caught on the onboard cameras at the Chinese Grand Prix
Sunday March 15
2.35am: F1 Academy Race 2*
5.30am: Chinese GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
7am: THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX*
9am: Chinese GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
10am: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Shanghai for the first Sprint weekend of the 2026 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
