Max Verstappen’s attempt to keep his championship hopes alive took another hit in sprint qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver finished sixth after a session dominated by balance problems and inconsistent grip. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda delivered a clean performance and secured fifth, marking the first time he has beaten Verstappen in any qualifying format.
Verstappen was visibly frustrated from the start of SQ2. The RB21 bounced aggressively through the opening sector, and persistent understeer made the car unwilling to rotate. Verstappen radioed that the car felt “really crap,” and he insisted several times that the team check the chassis. Adjustments did little to improve the behaviour. The car alternated between heavy push at mid-corner and sudden instability at high speed, a combination that has troubled Red Bull throughout the season.
The final segment of the session brought more difficulty. Verstappen ran off at Turn 4 during his first effort and suspected floor damage when the car’s front grip faded further between Turns 2 and 4. He completed SQ3 with no meaningful improvement, ending the segment resigned to sixth place and describing the situation as “not good at all.”
Afterwards, Verstappen explained that the one practice session before qualifying had already exposed the main weaknesses of the RB21, and the setup changes made for qualifying did not deliver the response he needed. He described a car that moved unpredictably between extremes, making it impossible to attack the lap with confidence. With both McLarens securing strong grid positions again, the gap in single-lap pace remains significant.
Looking ahead to the sprint, Verstappen was blunt. He said the current balance would make the nineteen-lap race “not enjoyable,” and stated that the realistic goal is damage limitation. Parc ferme restrictions will be lifted after the sprint, giving Red Bull the chance to make broader changes before the main qualifying session. Verstappen made it clear that the team will need a reset if they want any chance of competing on Saturday night.
The contrast with Tsunoda’s clean run underlines the scale of Verstappen’s difficulties. Tsunoda executed a composed session and kept the car within operating limits that Verstappen could not reach. For Red Bull, the priority now shifts to stabilising the RB21’s behaviour before the main qualifying, where Verstappen must reduce the gap to McLaren to keep his title hopes alive.
