Verstappen: My worst day of the season

Max Verstappen said that Friday at Japanese Grand Prix was perhaps his worst day of the entire Formula 1 season. Although he ran fourth-fastest at Suzuka in FP2, Verstappen was left frustrated by a lack of balance that he said made his Red Bull feel like a "rallycross" car.

Verstappen's best time of one minute 29.257 seconds was a second adrift of Lewis Hamilton at the top of the timesheets, but the Dutchman was almost three tenths quicker than team-mate Daniel Ricciardo.

Oversteer hampered a number of runs, with Verstappen asking for regular front-win tweaks, and it left the driver with a bitter taste in the mouth.

"[It was] one of my worst this season in terms of feeling in the car, no grip, and around here you need to be confident in how you attack the corners," said Verstappen.

"Today there was not one lap when I felt good in the car."

Though ahead of Raikkonen's Ferrari, Verstappen said: " I'm still not happy with the car. It doesn't really say anything for me."

Red Bull used Friday to try and find an optimal set-up, with Verstappen and Ricciardo running different specifications.

"I was running a different rear wing to Daniel which meant less downforce," the Dutchman said.

"If we can find a compromise between straight line speed and rear grip then it will put us in a stronger position for the rest of the weekend.

"Here in Suzuka you need to be confident in the grip in order to attack the corners. It's only Friday so we have time to make the changes and find a good balance."

MORE: Vettel annoyed with Ferrari 'nonsense'
MORE: Verstappen criticism is unfair - Renault