4th on the grid in China, what can Max Verstappen expect in the race?

This start to the season is definitely delicate for Red Bull which can only count on one driver at the moment, in this case Max VerstappenThis second weekend of the year in China shows the edge the Austrian team is on, as Liam Lawson is still having great difficulty adapting to the car.

Thus, the Red Bull band advances at a reduced pace, carried by a single man while the competition, like McLaren, Ferrari or, Mercedes, can count on both sides of the garage with more or less close performances between their drivers. The result of qualifying this Saturday demonstrates this a little more. If he was certainly hampered by Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson would still have had a lot of trouble getting out of Q1 while he has systematically evolved at the back of the pack since the start of the campaign.

"It's not simple."

For his part, Max Verstappen continues to shine, squeezing every last drop of performance out of his Red Bull to stay in the leading group. However, this theoretically doesn't allow him to fight for pole position, as was the case in Melbourne seven days ago and now in Shanghai, with "only" 4th place. This is probably the best he could hope for given the situation.

« It's difficult, admitted the four-time world champion to Canal +. Our car is… difficult to drive, I would say. It’s hard to really find grip with it. »

While he remains optimistic despite everything, the Dutchman understands that Red Bull must act quickly while its little sister Racing Bulls has never seemed so close, showing very good signs. Indeed, Isack Hadjar and Yuki tsunoda each managed to reach Q3, displaying a very surprising pace.

« It's very hard to have a good reference for each tower, he continues. It varies a lot from one round to the next. Obviously, I try to do my best, but it's not easy because the margin is very small. Even though I think this gap doesn't reflect the true gap.

This result highlights our situation because both Racing Bulls are in Q3 and with a time quite close to mine. That means a lot. »

The intelligence of the race to save the furniture?

The numbers and results have proven it since the season kicked off, and they proved it again in China. Max Verstappen is no longer able to dominate as he has in recent years. So what can he hope for in the race, given that this time, unlike in Melbourne, he has been knocked out of the top three?

Aiming for victory on a regular basis seems difficult, even impossible without racing facts, while the RB21 is clearly behind the MCL39.Oscar piastri et Lando NorrisHe may perhaps hope to separate them and thus force McLaren to change strategy, as he did momentarily at Albert Park for nearly twenty laps.

However, this time, he will have to contend with George Russell, who himself got between the McLarens this Saturday in qualifying. While the Red Bull appears superior to the Mercedes, the Englishman could appear to be a real contender when it comes to battling for the podium, as both cars could be performing at a similar level this Sunday.

Max Verstappen is, in any case, aware and, above all, clear-headed about his chances. We shouldn't expect him to challenge Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. That will be George Russell, and even then, since he fears he'll have to watch his rearview mirrors more than anything else.

« There will be nothing special, he assures. I don't think we'll be able to compete, and I don't think we'll be able to look ahead.. " At least it has the merit of being clear, even if the Dutchman has often accustomed the gallery to brilliant coups. Could China be the scene of a new one?

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