Max Verstappen has delivered a scathing verdict of Red Bull’s performance at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, after only managing to qualify eighth for the race.
Verstappen and Red Bull have struggled for pace so far in Shanghai, enduring a difficult Sprint, finishing down in ninth.
Rolling the dice on a setup change, mechanics overhauled his RB22 to try and improve his fortunes, but this proved to make little next to no difference.
Such was the pace deficit to the front of the field that the four-time world champion ended qualifying nearly a full second behind polesitter George Russell.
Verstappen was blunt in his assessment of Red Bull’s progress and prospects for the the race, doubling down on his criticism of the new regulations.
“The whole weekend, we’ve been off. The car is completely undrivable,” he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“I can’t even put a bit of a reference in, every lap is like survival. I can’t push at all because the car doesn’t let me.
Max Verstappen lacking control of RB22
Revealing details of his driving experience, Verstappen indicated he is not in full control of his RB22 at present.
“I don’t really feel in control of the car, it’s just really not how it should be.
“From lap one of this new regulation, I’ve not enjoyed this car.”
Verstappen confirmed that the issues are centred on both “oversteer and understeer,” predicting a gloomy outcome for Sunday’s race.
“I hope that maybe at other tracks, we can be a little bit closer, but we would still always be the P4 team, if we don’t change anything on the car,” he said.
“Where I’m at, it’s not going to be a fun race.”
Verstappen’s pessimism over his race prospects indicates a difficult new relationship with F1 is not getting any easier, not helped by a lack of confidence in the RB22.
Resigned to his fate in the midfield in China in spite of a car setup overhaul, he will be pushing hard for Red Bull to develop its way out of its competitive slump quickly.
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