Max Verstappen compared his Red Bull to a “rally car” in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint – as he took his lowest classified finishing position in over three years.
From sixth on the grid, Verstappen fell to ninth on the opening lap at Lusail, falling behind Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.
He cleared Gasly to move back into the points positions, but could not make any progress into Hulkenberg’s Haas, eventually finishing 1.8s behind the German.
The result was Verstappen’s lowest finish of the season, his lowest of any kind since P9 at the 2021 Hungarian GP and the first time he has finished eighth since the 2019 Italian GP, some 113 race weekends ago.
Reflecting on the tough result, the world champion had a less than flattering review for his RB20 machine.
“We just didn’t have any grip. The balance is dramatic, and with cold tyres, we suffered even more, it was like a rally car,” he told Viaplay.
“I think I should have competed with my father in Spa, then I think we would have had a better chance.
“It was really terrible, it was impossible to drive.
“We can adjust a lot, but we can’t fix the problem [heading into qualifying].
“We will adjust some things, but I don’t expect miracles.”
