Max Verstappen’s Disappointing Qualifying Performance Explained

In the scorching heat of the Bahrain desert on Saturday night, Max Verstappen found himself grappling with a “massive problem” that left him starting tomorrow’s grand prix just one place behind his championship rival Lando Norris. The Dutchman could only secure P7.

The Root Cause of the Brake Problem

Helmut Marko, Red Bull racing advisor, disclosed that the issue stemmed from a sudden brake problem following some changes made to the car. “It was worse than expected because we changed a few things on the car which we thought would be an improvement, then all of a sudden we had this brake problem,” Marko explained to reporters after the session.

Despite Verstappen’s complaints about his “terrible” brakes over the team radio, Marko clarified that the braking issue had “nothing to do” with the car’s new set-up. He added that Yuki Tsunoda, who finished P10, didn’t encounter any such problems.

Red Bull’s Top Performers in Qualifying

Marko commended Tsunoda’s Q3 performance, noting his consistent improvement since his promotion to Red Bull last weekend. He also praised rookie Isack Hadjar’s “very competitive” performance in the RB, expressing optimism about the possibility of points tomorrow, as Hadjar will start from P12.

Marko also spoke positively about Liam Lawson, who was replaced by Tsunoda last week. He acknowledged that Lawson is “slowly coming up to speed,” but his comments were brief and curt.