Eliminated in Q2 and beaten by his teammate, Max Verstappen is going through a nightmare weekend in Japan.
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The weekend is turning into a fiasco for Max Verstappen at the Suzuka circuit. The four-time Formula 1 world champion was eliminated in Q2 during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, an extremely rare underperformance in his recent career.
The Red Bull driver will start from only 11th place on the grid, far from his usual standards, having previously enjoyed several consecutive successes on this track. A situation all the more worrying as it comes in an already complicated start to the 2026 F1 season.
Beaten by Hadjar, a strong symbol
As if that weren’t enough, Verstappen was dominated by his teammate Isack Hadjar, who outqualified him by 0″158. A striking, almost symbolic fact, given how much the Dutchman was used to outclassing his teammates in recent years.
This internal setback accentuates the malaise at Red Bull. You have to go back to 2015 to find a trace of Verstappen being eliminated in Q2 at Suzuka and beaten by a teammate — at the time, it was Carlos Sainz who had the upper hand.
The disillusionment played out in the very last seconds of the session. While he still held a place in the provisional top 10, Verstappen was ejected from Q3 by rookie Arvid Lindblad.
The young driver improved his time at the decisive moment, relegating the champion out of the top ten by just 0″153. A further blow for Red Bull, already struggling throughout the weekend.
A car judged “undriveable”
At the end of the session, Verstappen’s frustration was palpable on the radio. The driver did not hide his lack of understanding regarding the suddenly degraded behavior of his car.
“I think there is something wrong with the car. It has become totally undriveable in qualifying. The rear jumps at high speed, suddenly.”
This new disillusionment confirms the difficulties encountered by Red Bull since the start of the season. Between balance problems, excess weight, and a lack of overall performance, the RB22 seems far from the expected level.
For Verstappen, accustomed to dominating, the situation is unprecedented. And at this stage, doubt is seriously starting to set in regarding the team’s ability to reverse the trend quickly.
The Grand Prix now looks like a delicate mission for the Dutchman, who will have to make a solid recovery to limit the damage in the championship race.
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