Max Verstappen delivers worrying Red Bull admission: ‘Nothing gives a clear direction’
“Nothing really seems to give you a clear direction so that also shows we’re struggling with other things.”
Max Verstappen has conceded Red Bull were unable to find a “clear direction” after ‘throwing the car around’ setup-wise for qualifying at the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Verstappen is set to start Sunday’s race from seventh on the grid - his lowest grid start since Brazil last year.
Red Bull struggled with pace and car balance all weekend, with Verstappen going off the track on multiple occasions in qualifying.
However, qualifying wasn’t a complete disaster for Verstappen in terms of the F1 title race.
Main title rival Lando Norris is set to start the race from sixth after a disappointing showing from the McLaren driver.
Reflecting on qualifying, Verstappen told Sky Sports: “All weekend it’s been difficult. Just struggling on brake feel and stopping power basically. We had very difficult grip.
“I feel that maybe the tyre grip that we are getting out of the car is quite low and that’s why setup wise we’ve thrown the car around a lot.
“Nothing really seems to give you a clear direction so that also shows we’re struggling with other things.”
Verstappen: “It’s been a difficult weekend for us”
Red Bull’s struggles started in the middle of last year.
After winning seven of the opening 10 races, Verstappen won just two of the remaining 14 races.
While Verstappen hung on and won the title, McLaren and Ferrari were clearly ahead of them in terms of performance.
Fast-forward to 2025, and it’s a similar story.
McLaren are the team to beat, and Mercedes’ George Russell is often in the mix.
Verstappen delivered a masterclass at Suzuka last time out to return to winning ways, cutting Norris’ lead to just one point.
Looking ahead to Sunday, Verstappen said: “I don’t know. Just try to do my best. It’s been a difficult weekend for us. Tomorrow, I will try to get as many points as I can, which I do that every single weekend so it’s not like it’s any different tomorrow.
“I have no idea where we will be in terms of race pace. We’re a bit in the middle of the pack so hopefully a bit of excitement.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
