Rosberg lays in on Red Bull and Verstappen after qualifying in Italy

Nico Rosberg predicts that Red Bull Racing could end up in a "panic" spiral after Red Bull Racing endured a difficult qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen qualified in seventh, behind McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari and his World Championship lead could take a big hit with Lando Norris started from pole.

Rosberg expects panic to hit Red Bull Racing as they enter "dark times." Red Bull have struggled with the car's balance throughout the weekend, and the problems came again in qualifying. Verstappen was even quicker on used tyres.

"That's dark, dark times there," Rosberg told Sky Sports. The 2016 World Champion then explained just how unexpected the situation was and how difficult it is for the team right now.

"Max [Verstappen] just doesn't understand, and it's all going away from them, which is so unexpected. That is such a tough situation to be in. Also they can panic very quickly," Rosberg added.

Norris outscored Verstappen by eight points last weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. There is a full Grand Prix to be completed in Italy but Rosberg senses a bigger dent in his lead over the coming 24 hours.

"Both championships are starting to slip away in a way, even the Drivers' Championship. If it continues like that, even that will slip away very quickly. So there can be real panic emerging internally, which can also make things even more difficult," Rosberg said.