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"Really Never Had Something This Bad with Everything Together": Max Verstappen's Verdict After a Disastrous F1 Chinese GP Sprint

Red Bull Racing trails Mercedes by nearly two seconds in the Shanghai sprint as new in-house power units and regulation changes hinder cornering performance, team principal apologized.

  • On Friday, Max Verstappen described his performance at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai as a "disaster," citing a lack of grip and balance during practice and sprint qualifying sessions.
  • Red Bull Racing struggled for pace on the second race weekend of the season, as new in-house power units replaced Honda as the engine supplier for Formula One.
  • Verstappen finished eighth in both sessions, trailing George Russell of Mercedes by 1.734 seconds, while his teammate Isack Hadjar fared even worse on the track.
  • Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies apologized to the Dutchman over team radio, acknowledging the significant pace deficit that left the four-time world champion frustrated.
  • Struggling to reach the top-10 shootout, the Dutchman joked that the new cars are "more like Mario Kart" while admitting uncertainty about potential solutions.
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26 Articles

Center

After the sprint race was ‘absolutely rubbish’, Max Verstappen didn’t find his qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix much better. The Dutchman starts the race on Sunday (8:00 AM) in eighth place after a Saturday to quickly forget. “I can’t push at all.”

·Amersfoort, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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Sydney Morning HeraldSydney Morning Herald
+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Lean Left

Ferrari's squabble over second

The Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc battled hard for second place during the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race.

·Sydney, Australia
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Right

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen doesn't see much hope for the Chinese Grand Prix.

·Budapest, Hungary
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Lean Right

This Friday is the F1 Sprint of the China Grand Prix 2026. Here we tell you where to see the short race in Mexico, the schedule and how 'Checo' Pérez arrives in Shanghai.

·Mexico
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Bias Distribution

  • 34% of the sources lean Left, 33% of the sources are Center, 33% of the sources lean Right
34% Left

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Sportskeeda broke the news in on Friday, March 13, 2026.
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