Max Verstappen had to settle for eleventh on the grid for the Japanese GP on Saturday. The Red Bull driver was stranded in Q2 after struggling with grip and balance in his RB22 throughout qualifying. “The car is completely undriveable,” came the voice from the cockpit. Afterwards, a sober Verstappen spoke to the Dutch press. He is no longer frustrated about the current lack of pace; Verstappen is concerned with bigger questions.
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“There is also a lot for me personally to figure out,” Verstappen declared resignedly. “Mainly about life,” he clarified when asked. “I’m not even frustrated anymore, I’m long past that point. To be honest, I don’t know what I can still make of it,” he said stoically. At Suzuka, Red Bull’s current competitiveness – or rather the lack thereof – became painfully clear once again. Verstappen had consistently been on pole at Suzuka for the past four years, but was stranded in Q2 with his new RB22.
Verstappen turned his attention again to the current regulations, which have long been a thorn in the side of the four-time world champion. As a pure racer, he still sees little pleasure in the new F1 era. “It has nothing to do with P7 or P11,” he emphasized. “It’s just hoping that it becomes a bit more fun to drive again.” Small adjustments were already made to energy management during qualifying this weekend, but large-scale changes are not expected for the time being.
Smile is nowhere to be seen
Verstappen understands that the interests of the various engine manufacturers are leading within the new regulations, but at the same time hopes that action will indeed be taken in the long term. “I’m not bitter about that either,” he assured. “This year is about small changes that will make little difference. I mainly hope that the adjustments for next year are big enough.” Next year? For fans wondering if Verstappen will retire after this season, those words may sound encouraging. At the same time, the Limburger emphasized that his trips to the Nürburgring and his growing involvement in sim racing bring ‘a big smile’ to his face. That smile is currently hard to find in Formula 1.
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“For me, it’s not fun at the moment,” he concluded. “And if you’re away from home for 22 races, it has to be for something fun. Of course, I still give everything when I’m in the car. But with how Formula 1 is set up now… If you don’t enjoy it, I don’t think you can get the best out of it. With other things, I try to keep it fun, of course, but that also ends at some point.”
Finally, Verstappen wanted to make it clear that his team is not to blame. Under team principal Laurent Mekies, a fresh wind is blowing through the garage, but that doesn’t change the fact that many question marks still exist around the RB22. “Everyone is doing their best,” Verstappen explained. “But it’s a combination of many different factors that means I’m not really enjoying myself at the moment. The team is completely separate from that. I know everyone is working hard and giving everything to put me in the best possible position. At the moment it’s not a nice situation, but we just keep going and keep trying,” he concluded.
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