Verstappen sounds alarm as Red Bull trails rivals in Shanghai

Max Verstappen’s Shanghai weekend has sparked concerns at Red Bull Racing, with the four-time champion fearing his team has slid to fourth in Formula 1’s 2025 pecking order.

A lackluster third in Saturday’s Chinese Grand Prix sprint and a fourth-place qualifying result later in the day left the Dutchman trailing McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes.

Starting alongside sprint winner Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen couldn’t match the Briton’s pace, and now, the foru-time world champion is bracing for a tough Sunday.

“That’s what it feels like for me at the moment,” he said, sizing up Red Bull’s grim reality.

Sprint Struggles Set the Tone

The 19-lap sprint exposed Red Bull’s Achilles’ heel. Verstappen lined up second but watched Hamilton pull away and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri overtake him on lap 15, finishing 7.5 seconds back in third.

Excessive front tyre wear crippled his RB21, a problem he couldn’t shake.

“Last year we also had a lot of tyre degradation here on the fronts, but now it’s a bit more extreme,” he noted. “But it’s clear we’re just not in a very good position, especially compared to McLaren but also the other teams.”

Piastri’s sprint pace foreshadowed his pole in qualifying, while Verstappen’s struggles hinted at deeper woes.

The Saturday afternoon grid-defining session offered little relief. Despite a tight field, Verstappen for fourth behind Piastri, George Russell and Lando Norris.

“I’ve been feeling really good and relaxed in the car, also in qualifying. I’ve been able to maximise it, but it’s just too slow,” he admitted. The stopwatch didn’t lie: Red Bull’s edge was gone.

Tyre Woes and Pace Deficit

Verstappen pinpointed two culprits: inconsistent balance and poor tyre management.

“Our tyre degradation [in the sprint] was better [than FP1] but still not good enough and, if you’re talking about a full race distance, that means you’re dropping back quite far,” he said.

“It’s not like I can take it easier either, because then you’ll get overtaken as well,” he added, ruling out a conservative approach.

Tweaks before qualifying didn’t turn the tide. “We changed a few things into qualifying, but I don’t think it’s going to change a whole lot. I think our deficit is bigger than it was last year,” he assessed.

Last season’s tyre issues in Shanghai were manageable; this year, they’re a glaring weakness against McLaren’s consistency, Ferrari’s sprint speed, and Mercedes’ qualifying punch.

Sunday Outlook Darkens

With Piastri on pole, Russell and Norris ahead, and Hamilton’s Ferrari lurking in fifth, Verstappen’s podium hopes are fading.

Asked if he’s still targeting a top-three finish, he bristled: “I don’t even want to think about that right now. The Ferraris starting behind me also looked quicker in the sprint.”

• Read also: Chinese GP: Piastri leads the field with maiden F1 pole

Verstappen’s fourth feels more like a ceiling than a springboard.

“It’s just too slow,” he repeated, a stark admission from a driver used to dominating. Lawson’s last-place start after a dismal qualifying—heavy damage from a sprint clash with Alpine’s Jack Doohan didn’t help—leaves Red Bull leaning solely on Verstappen… once again.

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