Verstappen staring at tough Qatar GP but ‘anything can happen’

Max Verstappen is heading into Sunday evening’s Qatar Grand Prix with the realism of a man who knows he’s outgunned – but not yet out of the fight.

Starting third behind McLaren’s front-row duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, the reigning four-time world champion needs nothing less than victory to keep his title hopes alive. And he’s making no secret of just how difficult that task may be.

After a bruising Saturday in which the RB21 continued to rattle and bounce its way through Lusail’s long, loaded corners, Verstappen was frank about the scale of the challenge. Even tweaks overnight couldn’t fully calm the porpoising that has plagued him all weekend.

“It was better,” he told reporters after qualifying. “Just trying to cancel out a bit of the issues that we had yesterday, which felt a little bit nicer, but it’s still there.

“Plus, just not really having enough front grip still, which is then limiting you a bit around the lap, around here, especially with all these long, medium-speed corners. That basically doesn’t allow you to push harder.

“That is basically what happened also in qualifying. We tried to, of course, make the best out of it in terms of prep, making sure that we’re on top of everything with what we can change still.

“It was all right. The final lap was good, but just limited with the issues that I’m experiencing at the moment.”

Anything Can Happen

Red Bull have been chipping away at the problem – mitigating, not solving – and Verstappen isn’t pretending otherwise. With the McLarens looking sharp and consistent, he even joked that only rule-bending might get the job done.

“It will be tough,” he admitted. “In the Sprint as well, I tried, but then we just fall into that window where we just struggle a lot on the tyres and we don’t seem to really be able to keep up.

“Also, the few final laps of Oscar in that sprint, I need to cut a corner to do that. It will be maybe a little bit better, but it will be tough to do that.

“Let’s see. It’s a long race. Anything can happen.”

All Eyes On the Start

Lusail’s high-grip, high-speed profile offered little to no racing in Saturday’s Sprint – a worrying preview for the man who needs to carve through two McLarens just to survive in the championship.

“Today, the Sprint was pretty boring, I would say, because you just can’t follow close, tyres overheat,” Verstappen said.

“Plus, with all these high-speed corners and high grip as well, it’s just super tough to get close. Tomorrow, there’s a lot more fuel in the car.

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“The start, for sure, is important. You never know. It can also be influenced by other cars in the race that might ruin your own race.

“It’s impossible to say now already that it’s going to be boring tomorrow.”

Despite the pessimism, the Dutchman has built his career on defying odds — and Lusail, he insists, can still surprise. A long race, volatile tyres, and a grid on edge may yet deliver the chaos he needs.

One thing is certain: Verstappen won’t go down without a fight.

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