Red Bull’s Max Verstappen Faces Challenges with RB21 Setup at the Japanese GP

Four-time champion Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, is grappling with confidence in his Red Bull RB21 following a turbulent practice session ahead of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutch driver could only manage fifth fastest in the first practice session and eighth in FP2, trailing current championship leader Lando Norris by significant margins.

Chaotic Practice Sessions Plague Verstappen at Suzuka

The challenging red flag-laden Friday saw Verstappen struggling to find an optimal setup for his RB21. The constant disruptions, including a crash by Alpine driver Jack Doohan and separate stops by Fernando Alonso and two grass fires, severely limited Verstappen’s learning opportunities in FP2, as he managed only 9 laps.

Despite the difficulties, Verstappen remained candid about his struggles.”Yeah, of course, it was quite chaotic out there for everyone with the red flags,” he said following FP2. “And so we, like everyone else, couldn’t complete all the things that we wanted to do.

Ongoing Issues with Car Flex and Tyre Performance

Verstappen admitted that he is experiencing issues with his car flexing, an ongoing process that the team is investigating. He also mentioned that the tyres require careful management due to their nature, which didn’t allow him to push as much as he would have liked in FP2.”Not so much [graining] for us,” Verstappen said. “But I was on the soft. So that tyre requires a lot of management anyway. You can’t really push that tyre.

With the track resurfacing being a topic of discussion going into the weekend, Verstappen was asked about graining and the performance of the RB21 on its tyres. He responded, “Not so much [graining] for us.

Public Disagreement with Team Decision Regarding Lineup Changes

The swapping of Liam Lawson for Yuki Tsunoda has not improved Verstappen’s mood this season, with him publicly disagreeing with the move when he endorsed former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde’s criticism of the decision. When asked about his comments on the matter, Verstappen confirmed, “Well, I liked the text, so that speaks for itself, right?

Despite these challenges, Verstappen remains optimistic and is looking forward to making improvements in the remaining practice sessions.”Today has been quite difficult for me,” he said. “But we still have a bit of work to do.” With potential long-ish runs planned for FP3 tomorrow, Verstappen hopes to gain more confidence and commitment around Suzuka’s challenging track.