Max Verstappen struggled throughout the Bahrain Grand Prix and spent the majority of his race competing in the lower reaches of the top 10.
The Dutchman looked uncompetitive on every tyre and couldn’t find a comfortable balance for his Red Bull car.
Verstappen came into the Bahrain Grand Prix off the back of a superb victory in Suzuka, where he seemed to get back on track.
Trailing Lando Norris by just one point in the drivers’ championship, the title race was meant to be wide open, but the RB21’s pace in Sakhir suggests a different tale for the rest of the campaign.
Verstappen and Helmut Marko don’t agree at Red Bull over the team’s key issue. The reigning champion thinks they have tried everything already.
Red Bull made one change to their 2025 F1 car over the winter, as they changed brake suppliers. It may partially explain their struggles.
READ MORE: Angry Red Bull fans demand Christian Horner action after Max Verstappen’s poor qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix
Max Verstappen proved he’s the most switched-on in F1 with Lando Norris radio message
Even though he qualified down in seventh and was facing turmoil in Bahrain, Verstappen was still as fresh in the mind as he could be.
He spotted that championship rival Norris had overshot his grid box – an infringement he later received a five-second penalty for.
Straight away, the Dutchman was on his team radio to complain to his team that the McLaren driver had gained an unfair advantage.
“Lando was over his grid box,” reported Verstappen, who was lining up just one position behind Norris after a poor qualifying for both cars.
Verstappen’s Red Bull get-out clause could see him change teams for 2026, but it’s dependent on his team’s performance before the summer break.
He’s still in great mental and physical shape and his Norris message is an example of why he is the best in Formula 1. He warrants a top seat.
READ MORE: Marc Priestley spots ‘unusual’ detail watching Max Verstappen amid Red Bull driver’s Bahrain Grand Prix struggles
Karun Chandhok calls Lando Norris jump-start ‘weird’ at the Bahrain Grand Prix
Norris’ pre-race error was the latest in a string of mistakes during a bad Bahrain weekend. He would have expected to hold a greater advantage in the championship after four races.
Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok was confused by his start and couldn’t fully understand how he made an error in lining up his car.
“I think he got into first gear and the car has crept forward when he wasn’t expecting [it],” he said. “Looking at the clutch paddles, will he pull in or perhaps the bite point wasn’t where he expected? But it definitely crept forward.
“What’s weird is that it was quite early Crofty, he’s got back into neutral and then sat there for another 10 seconds. So I think he was just trying to find the clutch bite point for some reason.”
He has just a few days to recollect and prepare for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the last race in the first triple-header of the campaign.
