Verstappen's Bahrain qualifying undermined by set-up, brake issues

Max Verstappen faced an uncharacteristically tough Saturday at the Bahrain Grand Prix, qualifying a disappointing seventh after grappling with persistent issues on his Red Bull RB21.

The Dutchman, fresh off a commanding win in Suzuka last weekend, pointed to misguided setup changes and a nagging braking problem as the culprits behind his lackluster performance.

On a Bahrain International Circuit known for its low-grip, abrasive surface, Verstappen’s woes underscored Red Bull’s challenges, leaving him with a steep climb for Sunday’s race.

‘It Happens’ — Q1 Scare Sets the Tone

The four-time world champion’s struggles began early in qualifying when he came dangerously close to an early exit in Q1. He was forced to abort his first flying lap due to braking issues, prompting Red Bull to use an extra set of soft tyres just to make it through.

“It happens,” Verstappen shrugged afterward. “I mean, it’s of course not what you want, also to use an extra set. But with the problems that we had, you have to do that.”

The unscheduled tyre use left Verstappen with fewer fresh options for the rest of qualifying – a disadvantage compounded by his lack of confidence in the car.

Brake Troubles and Poor Grip

Verstappen revealed that braking – a fundamental element of confidence and control – had been a major issue throughout the weekend.

“All weekend I struggled a bit with that,” he said. “Brakes, feeling and stopping power and besides that, also just, yeah, very poor grip.”

The combination of braking inconsistency and low grip left him unable to push the car to its limits, and it showed in his Q3 lap, which was only good enough for seventh.

Red Bull’s attempts to resolve the RB21’s issues through setup experimentation offered little in the way of improvement. Unlike past weekends where tweaks helped unlock pace, Bahrain delivered no such turnaround.

“We tried a lot on the setup, and basically all of it didn’t work,” Verstappen admitted. “It didn’t give us a clear direction to work in. So, yeah, just overall a difficult weekend so far.”

With no clear answers before race day, Verstappen now faces a damage-limitation Sunday.

‘We’ll Try Our Best’

Verstappen is set to start behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and ahead of a chasing pack that includes Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, and his own Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

But expectations for the race are subdued, especially given Red Bull’s well-documented struggles with tyre wear on abrasive circuits like Bahrain.

“I’ll try to do the best I can,” Verstappen said. “I hope that I can stay a bit with the Mercedes and the Ferraris. Naturally, I think the McLarens will pull away. But, yeah, we’ll try our best. See what happens.”

Read also:

• Norris blasts Red Bull: ‘Stop complaining and build a better car’

Asked if there was any upside to having both Red Bulls reach Q3, Verstappen’s answer was pragmatic and pointed.

“It depends if you have the pace,” he said. “I don’t think we have. So the positive is that we have two cars in Q3. The negative is that we struggle for pace.

“So it’s nice to have two cars in there, but when you are too slow then it doesn’t matter.”

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