Verstappen Admits 'Terrible Pace' as Red Bull Struggles Continue in China

Max Verstappen described his Chinese Grand Prix weekend as "terrible" and "very bad," citing a complete lack of pace and balance before a technical failure ended his race. The Red Bull driver, who qualified behind Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, said the team's struggles were expected and highlighted chronic issues with race starts and tire graining that left him uncompetitive.

Why it matters:

Verstappen's frank assessment confirms that Red Bull's early-season difficulties are more than just teething problems, revealing a significant performance gap to the top three teams. With the reigning champion labeling the car's handling as "undriveable," it signals a pressing need for development at Milton Keynes to prevent falling further behind in the championship chase.

The details:

• Verstappen's race ended with a suspected ERS cooling failure, but he was already running outside the points, set to finish behind Haas rookie Oliver Bearman.
• The core issue was a severe lack of single-lap and race pace, compounded by "terrible" car balance and excessive tire graining that prevented him from pushing.
• Start Problems Persist: Verstappen suffered from a lack of power at the launch in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, a separate issue from the battery problem that hampered his start in Australia.
• Failed Strategy Gamble: Red Bull opted to start Verstappen on the soft tire, a gamble that backfired immediately as he fell to the back at the start and the tires quickly degraded.
• No Silver Lining: Verstappen dismissed the idea that a different tire choice would have changed his outcome, stating he experienced the same graining problems on the medium compound during the Sprint.

What's next:

The focus shifts to damage limitation and development. Verstappen hopes the team can find performance during the extended gap after the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, but acknowledges rivals will be doing the same.

• The break, caused by the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, will allow for factory-based development without on-track testing.
• Verstappen's target for the next round in Japan is modest, stating he hopes the team can be "a little bit more competitive" as they work to understand and fix the RB22's fundamental issues.