Max Verstappen Struggles with ‘Unpredictable’ Red Bull in Baku Qualifying, Outpaced by Teammate Perez

Max Verstappen expressed discomfort with the highly unpredictable performance of his Red Bull car during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying session.

Max Verstappen referred to his Red Bull Formula 1 car as "extremely inconsistent" after being outperformed in qualifying by his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez for the first time in 2024.

Verstappen managed to secure the sixth position for Red Bull in the Azerbaijan qualifying, trailing two spots behind his teammate.

The Dutch driver expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of his RB20 during the qualifying session.

In a positive turn of events for Verstappen, his chief competitor for the championship, Lando Norris, was eliminated in the first qualifying session.

Looking back on the qualifying session in Azerbaijan, where Crash.net is on the scene, Verstappen commented: “Right from my first lap in Q1, I noticed the car didn't perform as well as before. We had made some adjustments, and the car became very unpredictable and challenging to handle as a result of those changes."

"You're feeling somewhat let down because you always aim to improve and perfect things. Sadly, I think we went too far this time. It's unfortunate that this occurred during the qualifying round."

"In my initial attempt in the third qualifying session, I made a mistake at the final turn, which cost me a chance at securing second or third place. There was still an opportunity to improve my lap time, but I couldn't find the right rhythm with the car. The vehicle was challenging to handle, and I never felt at ease. When you're not comfortable with the car, it's hard to push through the corners aggressively, leading to subpar performance."

Verstappen wasn't as harsh in his critique of his vehicle, referring to it as a "monster" when he spoke at Monza.

When questioned about whether the RB20 remains a "monster," he responded: "Not at all. We have made improvements to the car, but our attempts to perfect the setup and enhance a few aspects actually had the opposite effect."

"The issue with balance has gotten better, largely due to the nature of the track."

"We are currently focusing on refining that aspect. Our goal is to harmonize the balance and eliminate any disconnection."

With eight races left, Verstappen is ahead of Norris by 62 points in the drivers' standings.

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