Max Verstappen described his Friday at the Chinese Grand Prix as a “disaster” after Red Bull struggled for pace, with the four-time world champion qualifying only eighth for the sprint race. The Dutchman was 1.734 seconds slower than pole-sitter George Russell, whose Mercedes led a one-two finish in sprint qualifying.
Verstappen complained throughout the day about issues including driveability, cornering speeds and power. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies apologised over team radio after qualifying, saying: “Sorry Max, tough one. A lot to learn, the weekend is still long.”
Speaking in the media pen, Verstappen said: “The whole day has been a disaster pace-wise. There’s been no grip, no balance, we’re losing massive amounts of time in the corners and because of that, you trigger other problems.”
Red Bull looked competitive in pre-season testing but now appear short of pace compared to Mercedes. Lando Norris qualified third for McLaren, 0.621 seconds off Russell, with Lewis Hamilton fourth for Ferrari. Verstappen’s new teammate for 2026, Isack Hadjar, could only manage 10th, more than two seconds slower than Russell.
The sprint race takes place at 3am GMT on Saturday, with grand prix qualifying at 7am.
