A very bad qualification
The Saturday of Max Verstappen it ended in the worst way possible, with an off-track exit that put an end to his qualifying already in Q1, without any valid time. The Dutch Red Bull champion doesn’t know what happened: “I hit the brakes and the entire rear axle locked up. Nothing like this has ever happened to me.”
Verstappen destroys the new F1 cars
However, what caused a sensation were the sentences released by Max Verstappen at the end of the session – reported by the Dutch media GPBlog, De Telegraaf And Nu.nl – in which he dismissed the new generation of 2026 single-seaters without appeal: “I’m not happy at all. And this has nothing to do with my qualifications, I would have said the same if I had been in front. In terms of emotions and sensations, I am completely empty. It’s going to be a very long year, but I have already prepared myself mentally.”
Verstappen has not changed his mind regarding the tests, on the contrary: “Already in the simulator they were really bad, to the point that you don’t want to do it anymore. Everything feels unnatural when I drive. You need to accelerate as little as possible to save battery. You have to approach corners differently to save battery output. You have to make do with what you have, but you don’t have much. This has very little to do with racing in my opinion.”
The four-time world champion is so disappointed that he can’t wait to drive other cars: “I already know that I will enjoy the other races outside of F1 more. In fact, I might even take part in a few more races.”
