Max eighth in qualifying Chinese GP: 'It will be very difficult tomorrow'

Published on 14 March 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen qualified eighth for the Chinese Grand Prix. Although Oracle Red Bull Racing completely overhauled the car and made several adjustments, the four-time world champion felt there was little improvement. There were celebrations in Kimi Antonelli’s garage, however. He secured pole position, making him the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history.

“We turned the car upside down, but it was exactly the same. So I am expecting exactly the same tomorrow. I am not expecting much. We will likely be around seventh or eighth place and probably fighting a bit with Pierre Gasly. There is not more in it. It is incredibly tough to drive; there is no balance and I cannot lean on the car. Every lap is a fight. It is just very difficult,” a disappointed Max said after qualifying. He continued: “In the past we sometimes threw the car upside down and it would work, but now nothing works. It is just not nice. I cannot push and every lap is about survival for me. I am not enjoying it at all. It is very inconsistent and I cannot build a reference for qualifying. Every time I do a lap I think: ‘That is it.’ Can I go four tenths faster? Maybe. Could I go four tenths slower? That is also a big possibility. The car is all over the place. So it is just incredibly difficult.” Finally, Max added about tyre wear: “It felt awful, every time I did another lap on the same set of tyres. To be honest, I think it will be very difficult tomorrow.”

A few hours after the sprint race, it was already time for qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix. As usual, it was immediately quite busy on track. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) and the two Oracle Red Bull Racing drivers, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, chose to start on the medium tyres. In his first lap, Max set a 1:34.4. That time was faster than Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s lap on soft tyres, for example, but more than a second slower than George Russell (Mercedes), who set the fastest time in the first run.

As so often, lap times only became faster as the session progressed. Lando Norris (McLaren) and Leclerc improved their times, with the Monegasque even taking the fastest lap. Max also went back out and, with less than two minutes left on the clock, began a second run, this time on the soft tyres. Max delivered a good lap and even set a purple time in the third sector. When the chequered flag fell, he finished fourth, just over two tenths behind Leclerc’s fastest time. The drivers eliminated were the same as in sprint qualifying: both Cadillacs, both Aston Martins and both Williams drivers.

For the first runs in Q2, everyone went out on the soft tyres. As in other sessions this season, Russell started strongly. In his first run he posted a 1:32.5, three tenths quicker than Hamilton and Leclerc, who set the second- and third-fastest times. Max had a tidy start to Q2 as well. With a 1:33.1, the four-time world champion set the fifth-fastest time. Close behind him was Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who was quicker than both McLarens.

In the second run, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris moved up slightly, but only to fifth and eighth respectively. Max also went back out for a faster lap. He improved his time and eventually recorded the seventh-fastest lap. His teammate Hadjar spent a long time in the danger zone in tenth place, but due to a yellow flag caused by a near-crash involving Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), nobody could improve their time. This meant Nico Hülkenberg (Audi) missed out on Q3 by just two thousandths of a second. Franco Colapinto (Alpine), Esteban Ocon (Haas), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) and Bortoleto were also eliminated. Kimi Antonelli set the fastest time in this segment with a 1:32.443.

Q3 began with a false start for Russell. The Brit stopped on track with a problem. He managed to restart the car, but could only slowly return to the pit lane. His teammate Antonelli had a better start, setting a 1:32.3 in his first run. The McLarens followed just over two tenths behind, ahead of the Ferraris. Behind them were Max and Hadjar, about a second off the pace.

In the second and decisive run, the drivers pushed one final time for a fast lap. Antonelli crossed the line first, setting a 1:32.0. Norris and the Ferraris followed. Norris underperformed slightly and finished in sixth place. Hamilton and Leclerc did improve and briefly held second and third positions. Max also improved his time but ended up more than a second behind the fastest lap in eighth place. He finished ahead of teammate Hadjar but behind Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, who qualified seventh.

In the closing moments, Russell returned to the track and was the last driver allowed to set a flying lap. The championship leader set the second-fastest time, meaning Antonelli became the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history and will start the Chinese Grand Prix from the front.

Results qualifying China: