Max Verstappen stunned after suffering Red Bull humiliation

F1 champion Max Verstappen was disappointed with his car's performance during Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying, having a poor session just as he was pulling himself back into the championship fight.

For the first time since the 2021 Russian GP, Verstappen was not able to get out of Q1 during main race qualifying, and will start the main race on Sunday down in 16th.

And that came after a sprint race where he could only finish fourth, losing out on three more points to sprint race winner Lando Norris, who is 39 points ahead of Verstappen in the championship.

Verstappen's Q1 exit was not only disappointing for him, but also for Red Bull, who are fighting for second position in the constructors' championship and had a double Q1 exit, with Yuki Tsunoda down in 18th.

It was Red Bull's first double Q1 exit in a main race qualifying session since the 2006 Japanese GP, a remarkable statistic that shows off the team's consistency as a big player in F1 for much of the last 20 years.

After the session, Verstappen told Sky Sports F1: "It was just bad. I couldn’t push at all. The car was all over the place, sliding around a lot. I had to under-drive it a lot just to not have a moment. That of course doesn’t work in qualifying."

Verstappen was then asked about his uphill battle in the championship standings, which he didn't want to get drawn on: "We first have to analyse what is going on. I don’t really understand how it can be this bad, so that’s more important for us to understand at the moment."

Can Verstappen get himself back into the mix?

Verstappen started the 2024 Brazilian GP from 17th last year, and still managed to win the race in chaotic conditions to put the final nail in Norris' championship challenge coffin.

He'll need something similar in 2025's event if he is to keep his championship challenge alive, with just three race weekends remaining after this Brazilian GP weekend.

The conditions may just suit Verstappen, with damp conditions expected after some Sunday morning rain, although the actual race is expected to be dry.

But with Norris starting on pole, it seems like a tall order for Verstappen to get past all the cars between him and his championship rival before Norris has escaped down the road.

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