Usually unshakable, Max Verstappen showed frustration after qualifying for the Bahrain GP. From his statements, it’s clear that the four-time world champion feels he’s not truly in contention with McLaren for a fifth consecutive title.
After the brilliance in Japan, the Dutchman is once again facing the realities of an RB21 that doesn’t always make him feel comfortable. That was the case in Bahrain, where a series of factors saw Max Verstappen qualify only seventh.
The silver lining for the team is that Yuki Tsunoda also made it into Q3, albeit nine tenths behind his teammate. But the Sakhir circuit highlighted the car’s weaknesses. Speaking to Dutch media after the session, Verstappen appeared pessimistic about his chances in the world championship, giving the impression that the masterclass in Japan was just an isolated episode.
“McLaren is not my rival right now. I’m just taking part in the championship, but I’m not in the game for the title,” said the Dutchman. The Bahrain track, with its high degradation and elevated temperatures, exposed all of Red Bull’s current flaws.
“If you look at the gap to McLaren, I’m not surprised,” he explained. “I already told the team during winter testing here that the gap was half a second, and that’s been proven true. If others make mistakes, like in Suzuka qualifying, then we can be ahead. At Suzuka overtaking was impossible, but that’s not always the case.”
Looking at his qualifying performance, Max Verstappen listed all the issues encountered. “We have no pace, no balance, we’re struggling with the brakes, I didn’t have good sensations. It was tough, I tried to make the most of what I had. Overall, we’re far off, we need to figure out what we can do,” he stated.
“We tried everything possible with the car and nothing worked, so that’s not the issue. If I had to redo qualifying, I have no idea what else we could have changed. We tried everything that makes sense at this track.”
Max Verstappen will start from seventh on the grid, alongside Norris, who buckled under the pressure from his teammate who secured pole position.
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