Max Verstappen Faces Challenges in Bahrain GP Qualifying

Four-time champion Max Verstappen found himself struggling on brake feel and grip throughout the qualifying session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, securing only the seventh grid slot.

Verstappen’s Difficulties Explained

Speaking to the media, Verstappen explained that he had been grappling with these issues all weekend. “All weekend it has been difficult, just struggling on brake feel and stopping power basically,” he said. “Besides that, just very difficult grip.

He further elaborated that the car setup changes they’ve made haven’t provided a clear direction, suggesting that they might be struggling with other aspects as well. “Now, I feel that maybe the tyre grip that we are getting out of the car and that’s why also set-up wise we have thrown the car around a lot and nothing really seems to give you a clear direction,” he added.

Regarding his extra set of hard tires for the race, Verstappen admitted that he was unsure how they would perform due to potential high degradation and low mechanical grip. “I have no idea how they will perform. I think it will be quite high deg but also on the hard tyre you have quite low mechanical grip so naturally you will slide a bit more and I have no idea how that will work out,” he said.

Verstappen’s Optimism for Race Day

Despite the difficulties, Verstappen remains optimistic about tomorrow’s race. “I don’t know. I just try to do my best. It’s been a difficult weekend for us. Tomorrow I’ll try to get as many points as I can – I mean I do that every single weekend, so it’s not like it’s any difference tomorrow,” he said. “But I have no idea where we will be in terms of race pace. We’ll be in the middle of the pack so hopefully a bit of excitement.

Meanwhile, Verstappen’s new team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda, made it to Q3 for the first time with the Milton Keynes outfit. McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri secured pole position and will be joined on the front row by Mercedes driver George Russell.