Max only seventh after qualifying in Bahrain: 'No good feeling'

Published on 12 April 2025 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen will start tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix from seventh on the grid. The Dutchman struggled during qualifying, particularly with brake issues, and was unable to move further up the order. Pole position went to Oscar Piastri, with George Russell taking second place. Charles Leclerc took third, while Kimi Antonelli will start from fourth. Pierre Gasly completed the top five in Bahrain.

After qualifying, Max summed up the problems he encountered: “We were too slow, the car had poor balance, I could not brake, could not turn in, it would not rotate, no traction. It has been like this all weekend. We changed the entire car around, but nothing worked.”

During qualifying, Max had already voiced his brake issues over the radio. Commenting on that, he said: “You do not get any feeling. Every time you press the pedal, it is like hitting a wall. It just does not stop. Totally inconsistent, but I have been dealing with that all weekend. Actually, all year, but it is even worse at this circuit.”

Both in Q1 and Q2, Max had to abort his first flying lap, leaving it all down to a single attempt. Max: “And if you have got no good feeling, that just makes it even harder.” When asked how he is feeling about tomorrow, Max replied with a laugh: “Right now, not at all. We will see how I feel when I wake up.”

Q1 kicked off in 26°C air temperature and 31°C track temperature. Max comes out on track after a few minutes for a flying lap, but things went wrong in the final corner: he locked up heavily and went straight into the pit lane. “There is something seriously wrong with the car,” the Dutchman said over the radio. His teammate Yuki Tsunoda also had a tough start, with his first lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. Both Red Bull drivers stayed in the garage for a while before heading out again in the final minutes. Despite it all, Verstappen managed to clock the third-fastest time in his single fast lap. Tsunoda scraped through in fourteenth. The first drivers eliminated were Bearman, Stroll, Bortoleto, Lawson, and Albon.

The second part of qualifying was halted early by a red flag. Esteban Ocon lost control in Turn 2 and reversed into the barriers. The Frenchman walked away unharmed, though his car suffered major damage. After a brief delay, the session resumed with 11 minutes remaining. Mercedes were quick to head out, perhaps too quick, as race control investigated whether their drivers left the pits before the official restart time. Verstappen, once again, had to abandon his first flying lap. Meanwhile, Norris set a 1:30.454 to go top, before Piastri went a tenth quicker. Verstappen could only manage the seventh-fastest time with his one timed effort and ultimately progressed in ninth. Teammate Tsunoda just made it through in tenth. Doohan, Hadjar, Hülkenberg, Alonso, and Ocon were knocked out. The McLaren duo remained the pacesetters.

Max’s first Q3 time was a 1:32.057 on used tyres, initially putting him behind Tsunoda. Over the radio, he complaines that his brakes felt “horrendous”, and he quickly dropped to the lower end of the time sheet. Piastri set the provisional pole time with a 1:30.233. Antonelli and teammate Russell managed to go even quicker, but Piastri was already on another flying lap. That lap was a strong one, a 1:29.841 to firmly secure pole. Russell will start alongside him on the front row, with Leclerc and Antonelli just behind. Verstappen could do no better than seventh today.

Contest GP Bahrain: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing 2025 cap!

Results qualifying Bahrain: