Red Bull left with big headache in China after surprise issue sparks Max Verstappen ‘disaster’ claim

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Red Bull did not expect their balance problems at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen call Sprint Qualifying a “disaster” after he only sealed P8 in SQ3.

The Red Bull RB22 was the second-fastest car on the grid at Albert Park last weekend, when Isack Hadjar qualified P3 for the Australian Grand Prix after Verstappen crashed in Q1. But a different track type in Shanghai has revealed issues with the RB22 that flew under the radar.

Verstappen was the top Red Bull driver during qualifying for the F1 Sprint at the Chinese GP with P8 in SQ3 this Friday. Yet the four-time champion was 1.734 seconds off the pace, with Mercedes rival George Russell scoring Sprint pole in China with a quickest time of 1:31.520.

Hadjar also managed just P10 with a 2.203s deficit to Russell’s Sprint pole time, which was a positive for Red Bull in itself. Verstappen and Hadjar almost missed out on advancing to SQ3, with only 0.071s and 0.015s separating them from Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg in P11 during SQ2.

Ouch. How long will Red Bull need to catch Mercedes?

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Red Bull did not expect their balance problems during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix

Verstappen and Hadjar struggled for grip throughout Sprint Qualifying this Friday, along with encountering ‘excessive’ levels of tyre degradation during practice. Verstappen destroyed his front-left tyre within a matter of laps amid a high-fuel run on the medium C3 compound.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Chinese GP, with F1 Sprint and Grand Prix start times

That is according to RacingNews365, which reports that Red Bull had expected to be behind the fastest teams in Shanghai due to their engine deficit. But the Milton Keynes natives now face a ‘major headache’, as the RB22’s handling issues in China have taken them by surprise.

Watching Verstappen wrestle the RB22 around the Shanghai International Circuit this Friday, and particularly during SQ3, revealed the extent of Red Bull’s handling issues. When the 28-year-old tried to push the limits, he never seemed to trust how the front-end would behave.

Max Verstappen labels Sprint Qualifying a ‘disaster’ due to Red Bull’s balance problems

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Which driver are you backing to win the F1 Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix?

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Verstappen struggled to build confidence with the RB22 throughout Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese GP, after which Bernie Collins said there are no “quick fixes” for Red Bull’s problems. On top of the RB22’s lack of balance and tyre wear issues, their engine also caused an issue.

Anthony Davidson clearly heard Red Bull’s driveability problem that frustrated Verstappen on Friday, having clearly been struggling with torque spikes whenever he picked up the throttle. All of Red Bull’s issues even left Verstappen branding Sprint Qualifying a “disaster” on Friday.

Verstappen fumed after Sprint Qualifying: “The whole day has been a disaster pace-wise. No grip. Honestly, I think that’s the biggest problem. No grip, no balance.

“I’m just losing massive amounts of time in the corners, to be honest. And then, of course, because of that, you start triggering other little problems. But the big problem for us is just [that] the cornering is completely out.”