Max Verstappen is having a home weekend to forget at Zandvoort. After managing only sixth in this morning's Sprint, the Red Bull driver could do no better than seventh in qualifying, meaning he will line up from the fourth row for Sunday's Grand Prix. To make matters worse, his stand-in teammate Liam Lawson was just a tenth of a second slower—a clear sign that the #1 car is not in its element.
Verstappen had every reason to attack: this is his final home race at the Zandvoort circuit, and he just signed a contract extension with Red Bull. But the opposite happened. He looked off the pace from the start, and his issues go beyond the track.
According to former F1 driver Christijan Albers, speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen is suffering from the flu and his condition has worsened since yesterday. Verstappen confirmed this to Dutch journalists. However, in his post-qualifying interviews, he preferred to focus on the lack of feeling with the RB22 rather than his health.
Setup Changes Made No Difference
Verstappen admitted that the team tried several changes between the Sprint and qualifying, but nothing worked. “We changed quite a lot, but actually it made no difference. The balance is pretty much the same as all weekend, and it didn't allow me to push or feel comfortable with the car. That's the situation we're in,” he said.
He also couldn't confirm a different strategy for Sunday. “We don't have the race pace, so it's hard to say at the moment. We can only try to do our own race and see if it brings something positive or negative,” added the four-time champion.
With a less-than-ideal physical condition and a car that hasn't improved, Verstappen is predicted to face one of his toughest races of the season. The question now is: can he turn things around in front of his home fans? Or will Lawson steal the spotlight?
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