Defeat ‘in the family’
The nightmare period for Max Verstappen continues and the comparison with 12 months ago could not be more bitter. Right at Suzuka, where last year the Dutchman performed a true masterpiece by beating both in qualifying and in the race the two McLarens that were clearly stronger than his Red Bull, today a sensational elimination in Q2 arrived for the #3 from Milton Keynes. But what made this exit from the top-10 even more unexpected and annoying for the four-time world champion were the names of the drivers ‘thanks’ to whom he was eliminated.
Read more 2026 Japanese GP: Qualifying report
Verstappen in fact finished Q2 in 11th place, beaten on the flying lap by teammate Isack Hadjar and by Racing Bulls representative Arvid Lindblad. A blow for the orange superstar, who thus suffered a defeat entirely ‘in the family’. Just under a tenth was the gap between the Hadjar-Lindblad pair (separated from each other by just five thousandths) and the Dutchman. Enough, however, to certify all of Max’s difficulties, as he seems to really dislike this type of car and also the new RB22.
Over the radio, after being ‘cut’, Verstappen highlighted the very poor “driveability” of his car. “I think there is something wrong with the car, mate: it was absolutely undriveable”, his comment addressed to race engineer Giampiero Lambiase.
