Verstappen reveals ride issue that made Sprint Qualifying 'difficult' in Canada

Max Verstappen struggled with a ride quality issue during Sprint Qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix, finishing only seventh-fastest. The four-time world champion cited his feet "flying off the pedals" as a major hindrance to consistency, ending SQ3 more than half a second behind pole-sitter George Russell.

Why it matters:

• The ride issue threatens Verstappen's ability to score strong points in the Sprint and underscores Red Bull's ongoing difficulties with the RB22's setup. Meanwhile, team principal Laurent Mekies dismissed rumors of Verstappen leaving, reaffirming his central role in the project.

The details:

• Verstappen's issue: "My feeling in the car was not very good. I was struggling a lot with the ride of the car. I couldn't put my foot down, my feet were flying off the pedals. It made it very difficult to be consistent." Verstappen finished 0.5s behind Russell, with teammate Isack Hadjar in eighth.
• Team boss on rumors: Mekies said he is not concerned about Verstappen leaving. "Max is telling us he’s happy at Red Bull. He is involved in every strategic decision... He is central to that." He also downplayed a meeting between Jos Verstappen and Toto Wolff, calling it "completely natural."

What's next:

• Verstappen acknowledged the team is "stuck with that for the Sprint" and hopes for improvements before the main qualifying. The Sprint race will test whether the ride issue can be managed, while Red Bull works to return to a more competitive package.