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Red Bull have made urgent changes to Max Verstappen‘s RB21 after the F1 champion’s struggles with car in the sprint.
The car was unpredictable, making it hard for the Dutchman to put together consistent lap times as he finished fourth and well behind Lando Norris.
True to form, Red Bull Racing didn’t waste any time and immediately set about reworking the setup for qualifying. The mechanics are working around the clock to give Verstappen a competitive car.
The team didn’t even get a break after the shortened race. Verstappen once again expressed his frustration with the car and demanded that the team take action ahead of qualifying.
“If we could just fix the bouncing, it would go a long way,” he explained. The erratic handling forced him to lose pace against rival Lando Norris. In response, Red Bull is overhauling the RB21 for qualifying.
Verstappen has instructed his engineers to address the bouncing problem and is also urging improvements to the front-end performance to curb tyre wear. “I need the bouncing to stop and more front-end grip because we’re wearing out the front tires,” the reigning champion said.
The RB21 is currently undergoing major modifications, as seen in the photos below. Verstappen will head into qualifying in Qatar with a significantly altered setup, with the session scheduled to start at 6pm UK time.
It’s a bold move to keep Verstappen in the championship hunt. Achieving pole position during qualifying would be a significant advantage, especially in Qatar where the Sprint highlighted that overtaking is never guaranteed. Verstappen must finish ahead of Norris in tomorrow’s grand prix to keep his title hopes alive.
| Position | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 396 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 374 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 371 |
