Only seventh in sprint qualifying at Zandvoort, Max Verstappen expects more from his Red Bull and points to two areas for improvement.
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Max Verstappen probably hoped for better for the start of his last Dutch Grand Prix. At home, the Red Bull driver had to settle for seventh place in sprint qualifying after encountering difficulties with the balance and grip level of his RB22.
The Dutchman, who has just extended his contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2030 season, had already experienced a tricky free practice session. Only 11th at the end of the single hour of practice for the weekend, he nevertheless managed to take a step forward during sprint qualifying.
Insufficient progress in his eyes, as Red Bull still needs to find solutions before the main qualifying session of the Grand Prix.
“I guess we managed to get ahead of one car, but it was just a bit tricky to find grip and the right balance,” explains Verstappen.
Verstappen demands more grip
The four-time world champion acknowledges that the changes made between free practice and sprint qualifying allowed Red Bull to improve the behavior of its car.
“It was already a step forward compared to FP1, but we obviously still lack a little something to be a little higher in the hierarchy,” he notes.
Verstappen notably managed to get ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, but that is not enough to mask the deficit that still separates Red Bull from the fastest cars.
To hope to get closer to the front in the next sessions, the Dutchman clearly identifies the two areas on which his team must work.
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“It’s something we now need to understand: what we can do with the balance for tomorrow to find a little more grip. Really, a little more balance and a little more grip to slightly reduce the gap.”
Red Bull no longer consistently finds the solution
In recent seasons, Red Bull has regularly distinguished itself by its ability to transform a tricky car on Friday into a much more competitive car the next day.
Verstappen is, however, much less categorical about this ability in 2026. Asked about the possibilities of seeing his team once again make a leap forward overnight, he acknowledges that the corrections made no longer systematically produce the desired effects.
“It’s quite random, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But let’s see what we can find,” explains the 28-year-old driver.
And if he knows precisely what he wants to get from his RB22, Verstappen admits that he does not yet have the technical solution to achieve it.
“I can’t tell you now how we’re going to get there.”
A final home Grand Prix to save
The stakes are all the more important for Verstappen as this edition marks the last Dutch Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar for the foreseeable future.
A three-time winner at Zandvoort, the Dutchman would naturally like to end the adventure in front of his home crowd on a good note. But his Friday confirmed that Red Bull does not, for now, have a car that allows him to easily compete at the front.
Before thinking about the final result, Red Bull will therefore have to solve the immediate problem: offer Verstappen more grip and find a more favorable setup window for the rest of the weekend.
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