Qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix delivered a result few expected. Max Verstappen finished sixteenth and Yuki Tsunoda nineteenth, giving Red Bull its first double Q1 exit since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. For Verstappen, this was the first time in his career that he failed to progress from Q1 due to a lack of pace. His previous Q1 eliminations were linked to grid penalties rather than performance. The outcome adds significant weight to the championship picture as the season heads into its final stages.
Red Bull had attempted a setup reset after the sprint. Tsunoda ran a higher downforce rear wing during the sprint, but the team abandoned that approach when it failed to deliver stability. Both cars were switched to a lower downforce configuration with additional adjustments. Instead of unlocking performance, the changes left the drivers without the grip or balance required for a competitive lap. Verstappen missed Q2 by sixty six thousandths of a second. Tsunoda finished last among the runners, three tenths behind his teammate.
The result is a major setback given the context of the title race. Verstappen trails Lando Norris and cannot afford weekends where he starts deep in the field. Interlagos has historically been challenging when conditions shift between sessions, and the narrow performance window of the Red Bull made the situation worse. The team faces a complex race scenario where strategy, weather and tyre life will determine whether Verstappen can limit damage to his championship hopes.
Tsunoda’s result reflects the team’s broader difficulties. His performance gap to Verstappen shows that the setup direction weakened both cars. With the field tightly packed, small misjudgments in balance or tyre preparation are costly. Tsunoda finished more than three tenths behind Verstappen, confirming the scale of the issue.
Gabriel Bortoleto did not take part in qualifying after his heavy sprint crash. Sauber were unable to complete repairs in time, leaving him outside the session entirely. His absence reduced the number of cars on track, but it did not alter the competitive dynamic at the front of the midfield.
The Sao Paulo double exit highlights the risks involved when a top team makes late setup changes without a clear performance trend. Red Bull will now rely on race conditions to recover positions, yet the loss of track position places them in a difficult strategic position. The result leaves Verstappen with little margin as the championship enters its decisive rounds.
