Max Verstappen lost out on the pole position for the first time this year

The Sprint qualifying for the Chinese GP sprint race was problematic due to rain mid-session. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was unable to showcase his dominant performance as has been showing since the start of the ongoing campaign. The Dutchman could only manage a P4 starting position for tomorrow’s Sprint race. Hence, the 26-year-old opened up regarding the issues faced by the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Christian Horner had recently pondered over the challenges at the Shanghai circuit for the Red Bulls. Additionally, Max Verstappen had asserted that the Sprint weekend in China wasn’t the best idea. The rain caused the re-painted track to cause grip issues.

Hence, Verstappen pointed out that the circuit was completely slippery. The reigning world champion struggled to get the tires in the right temperature frame and had an extremely hard time keeping the car on the track.

It was incredibly slippery. I just struggled a lot to get temperature into the tyres. That was why it was so difficult to keep the car on track. It [the tyres] never really switched on for me.

Max Verstappen said during the post-session interview.

The 26-year-old openly admitted that driving on the re-painted track felt like ‘driving on ice’. Hence, the team only managed a P4 start to the sprint race. Verstappen who is exceptional in wet conditions struggled to manage his car. Therefore, Verstappen mentioned that the P4 start is ‘well deserved’ for the constructor. The Dutchman further admitted that the RB20 wasn’t working for him in the wet despite being competitive during dry conditions.

It was like driving on ice, and that is why, its quite deserved where we are in qualifying. It was not really working for me in th wet, and in the dry, we look quite good.

Max Verstappen noted.

Max Verstappen: It was incredibly slippery. I just struggled a lot to get temperature into the tyres. That was why it was so difficult to keep the car on track. It [the tyres] never really switched on for me.

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) April 19, 2024

Charles Leclerc expects to close in on Max Verstappen in terms of performance at the Chinese GP

Ferrari has been the tight competitor to Red Bull and Verstappen since early 2024. Carlos Sainz even became the non-Red Bull driver to amass a victory during the recent Australian weekend. Hence, Charles Leclerc expects to close in on the dominant runner in F1.

The Monegasque explained that Ferrari had been really close to Red Bull in most of the races. As a result, Maranello needs to be on top of their game to be able to win races.