Verstappen's telling reaction after painful Q2 exit: 'I can't even be angry anymore'

Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen talked about his frustrations: “I think it was a bit like yesterday again. Aerodynamic issues. I couldn’t attack a single corner. A lot of oversteer, but then in the middle of the corner it wouldn’t turn at all. Very strange. I also don’t really know what to make of it. The worst part is actually that I’m not angry at all. I’m already past that. So that’s not good.”

Verstappen was asked again about that last point. Should Red Bull go back to basics first and not think beyond that yet? He responded: “We have a lot of problems at the moment. And that’s actually the biggest problem. It’s very inconsistent.

“Yesterday the car was unpredictable as well. This morning the rear was stable, but we still had a lot of understeer. Now in qualifying you really want to push, and then the car keeps snapping, basically on the entry of all the fast corners. After that I have a lot of understeer again in the middle of the corner. Very peculiar.”

For Verstappen, qualifying ended already after Q2. The Dutchman set the eleventh fastest time, so his session ended earlier than he had hoped. Isack Hadjar did make it to Q3. The Frenchman finished Q3 in eighth, but was still more than a second slower than polesitter Kimi Antonelli.

Finally, Verstappen was asked once more whether the issues at the start have been resolved by now. According to the Dutchman, that is not the case: “I don’t stall anymore, but the start is still very poor.”