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Max Verstappen and Red Bull suffered a poor day on Friday at the Chinese Grand Prix, but there are no ‘quick fixes’ for the team.
It was a poor Friday for Max Verstappen as he finished in eighth place during the Sprint Qualifying session at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Throughout the proceedings during Practice on Friday morning and Sprint Qualifying in the afternoon, Verstappen had been complaining about the performance of his Red Bull.
After making his way through SQ1 and SQ2, Verstappen did not challenge at the front in SQ3 as the Dutch driver qualified in eighth place, with his teammate Isack Hadjar in tenth place.
However, the issues at the Chinese Grand Prix do not appear to be easy fixes for Red Bull, but rather fundamental.
Ouch. How long will Red Bull need to catch Mercedes?
There are no ‘quick fixes’ for Max Verstappen and Red Bull
After the Sprint Qualifying session in Shanghai, Bernie Collins spoke on Sky Sports about the issues that Verstappen and Red Bull have been experiencing on the opening day of the Chinese Grand Prix.
She believes that Red Bull will not be able to make any ‘quick fixes’ ahead of the Sprint Race on Saturday, as after listening to Verstappen’s radio messages, his issues sounded ‘fundamental’.
Collins said, “He was really unhappy throughout that whole session, complaining about the downshifts, which we have heard a lot from Max in the past.
“But there seemed to be fundamentally a lot more issues going on with that car, at one point he said, ‘Just look at everything’. When he came out on his out lap for Sprint Qualifying 3, he said, ‘Is there anything I can do differently to try to improve this?’ And he was told no this is fundamental with the car, so it was a disappointing session for him.
“He has to carry that into the Sprint, and it does not look like there are any quick fixes to be honest.”
Mercedes boast a 0.621s lead over McLaren atop the SQ3 timesheets after Sprint Qualifying in China
Who was your star of Sprint Qualifying in Shanghai?
Red Bull could lose Max Verstappen if 2026 issues continue
The new regulations for the 2026 Formula 1 season have led to Max Verstappen being openly frustrated with the sport in its newest era.
Although Verstappen has been happy with the change of leadership at Red Bull since Christian Horner left, Red Bull has not been able to provide the Dutch driver with a competitive car.
Verstappen’s current contract with Red Bull will expire at the end of the 2028 season, and many have speculated that Verstappen may retire from the sport at the end of his deal.
After fighting his way through the grid at the Australian Grand Prix after a poor qualifying, Verstappen said ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix that he could have finished higher if he started closer to the front.
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