Copyright sportskeeda
Max Verstappen finished sixth after a challenging Sprint qualifying at Interlagos as the Dutchman struggled with severe handling issues aboard his Red Bull RB21.The reigning champion's three Sprint qualifying sessions - 1:09.975 in SQ1, 1:09.707 in SQ2, and 1:09.580 in SQ3 - showed limited improvement, as he failed to match the front-running McLarens and Mercedes. Lando Norris secured the sprint pole with a 1:09.243s run, while Verstappen’s was three-tenths off the pace.Verstappen's frustration was clear, later summed up by his own words:“A lot of vibration in the car, a lot of just ride problems, so not what we want,” Verstappen said after the session. “But I think besides that, we just don’t have the grip. The middle sector is terrible, just can’t get the car to turn. But at the same time also, I can’t really rely on the rear. So for us it’s quite poor I would say. It is what it is.”Max Verstappen had looked relatively comfortable through the early phases. After a measured start to SQ1, he slotted into second, only behind Norris. He maintained his rhythm in SQ2, going fourth quickest behind Fernando Alonso, Norris, and George Russell.But once the final segment began and all drivers switched to the soft compound tires, Verstappen could only extract one competitive lap. His first sector looked promising, but the RB21’s instability through the middle corners caused him to lose momentum. The day’s conditions offered no excuses.While a few light showers brushed the circuit, the session remained dry enough for slicks throughout. The Brazilian weekend, however, could feature heavier rain on both Saturday and Sunday. Verstappen, who famously won last year’s Grand Prix from 17th on the grid, remains realistic when asked if rain might turn things around:“I don’t know, we will find out,” he admitted, via Sky Sports. “It’s quite clear we are lacking something, and I’m not expecting that suddenly to be miles better in the wet, but we’ll see tomorrow.”Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who had shown solid pace early in the day, could only manage 18th after an off during SQ1, continuing a difficult weekend for the Milton Keynes squad.Helmut Marko on Red Bull’s issues and Max Verstappen’s pace dropMax Verstappen of Red Bull Racing before the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil. Source: GettyThe signs of struggle were visible as early as Friday's practice. Max Verstappen finished 17th in FP1, 1.393 seconds off Lando Norris’ benchmark of 1:09.975. Piastri was just 0.023s behind his teammate, while the Dutchman spent the entire session working on harder compounds to focus on longer runs.Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko pinpointed grip loss and setup limitations as the root cause.“The problem was not enough grip. We are losing four tenths in S2,” Marko explained, via @verstappenews on X. “For the sprint, because of parc fermé, we can’t change anything, but we hope we get enough information to adapt the car for qualifying and the race.”The middle sector remained Verstappen’s biggest weakness throughout qualifying. He ranked only 13th-fastest through the sweeping stretch from Turns 4 to 12, where the RB21 lacked traction. His best split of 35.665 seconds was notably slower than Norris’ 35.231. He was quickest in the first sector and fifth in the final, but the deficit through the central section cost him a front-row start.With the Sprint set to begin at 11 a.m. local time and expected to cover 24 laps around Interlagos, Max Verstappen will aim to salvage points and data before the main Grand Prix.
