Verstappen vows to improve after tough Chinese Grand Prix Sprint

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Max Verstappen admitted that a lack of pace in his Red Bull car turned the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint into a grueling battle for survival. The Dutch driver finished third behind Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen had qualified alongside Hamilton on the front row for the first Sprint of the season but failed to overtake his rival at the first corner. Despite remaining within a second of Hamilton's Ferrari for the initial 10 laps, Verstappen's front tires began to degrade, causing him to fall behind McLaren's Piastri on Lap 15. He continued to struggle in the closing laps.

Reflecting on the race, Verstappen described the points return as a "positive" outcome. "I tried to give it a go because I also had Oscar behind me pushing, so I was trying to keep in that DRS – that helps a lot on the back straight," he noted. "Unfortunately, I think the last eight laps, we just didn’t have the pace compared to the others, so I was just trying to survive out there."

Verstappen finished 9.804 seconds behind Hamilton and 2.915 seconds behind Piastri. With the Grand Prix Qualifying taking place just hours after the conclusion of the Sprint, there was limited time to make adjustments to the car for better tire protection and increased pace.

When asked if the Sprint had provided useful data for making those changes, Verstappen shared his strategy. "We’ll try to make it better. We’ll look into the data, see what we can improve a bit on the car, but I think in general, we just lack a bit of overall pace," he explained. "Naturally, you have to push harder, and you kill your tires a bit more, so that makes it very difficult."

Verstappen's determination to review the data and enhance his car's performance underscores his commitment to overcoming the challenges faced during the Sprint and striving for better results in the upcoming Grand Prix.

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