Max Verstappen Endures a Difficult Race in Bahrain

The reigning world champion, Max Verstappen, had a race to forget at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Despite starting in P7, he managed to climb only one position by the end of the race on Sunday night. “It was not to our standard,” Verstappen told reporters after the race.

Unfortunate Pitstop Mishaps

Verstappen lost valuable seconds during his first pitstop due to a delay in the green light above the pitbox, indicating a safe driver release. His second stop was compromised by issues with his front-right tyre, resulting in a 6.2-second pitstop. “Everything went wrong that could go wrong,” Verstappen lamented.

He emphasized that the team’s main problems were balance and tyre management. “The brakes were a little better today because we were allowed to change the material, but the problem is not only the feeling in the brakes – which is still not where I want it to be – but also our tyres are overheating,” he explained.

This lack of control led to issues with locking the front or rear tires during braking. Verstappen expressed feeling “complicated” about Red Bull’s performance, a stark contrast to their strong showing at the same circuit just a year ago.

Tyre Management Woes

Verstappen noted that Red Bull’s tyre management was worse this year compared to last, making it more challenging. He pointed out that they were struggling with tyre management more than other teams.

Despite the challenging weekend, Verstappen maintained a positive mindset heading into the final leg of this triple-header. “I don’t need to reset, I’m OK. It is what it is. I always try to do the best I can, even in disappointing or frustrating situations,” he said.

He acknowledged that Red Bull had issues they needed to address and that winning a race doesn’t erase those problems. “So we just keep discussing and keep trying to improve,” he continued, referencing last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.