Max Verstappen’s F1 Qatar GP Sprint delivered a mixed result as the Dutchman finished P4 despite a strong opening. The Red Bull Driver started P6, but quickly gained positions through the first sector. However, persistent bouncing issues hampered his race pace throughout the 19 lap Sprint.
Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda secured P5 despite receiving a five-second penalty for track limits on lap 14. Tsunoda’s position remained unchanged as Kimi Antonelli also received a five second penalty. The Japanese driver started P5 and provided support to Verstappen at the race start before settling into his own race.
Strong start gives way to familiar problems
Verstappen’s F1 Qatar GP Sprint began promisingly with an effective launch off the line. He capitalized on the opening corners to move forward from his P6 starting position. The initial launch suggested Red Bull had found solutions to their qualifying struggles.
However, the optimism proved short-lived. Speaking in the TV pen after the race, Verstappen explained how quickly the handling deteriorated: “Yeah, start was good. I think the first two corners worked out well, and then yeah, we just fell into the same problems as yesterday. Of course, we know that you can’t you can’t change the car so But at least it’s it’s good to know in a sense that on quali and race pace you’re facing the same problems so then we also have a few things that we need to work on now to try and improve.”
The consistency of the issues across both qualifying and race conditions provided Red Bull F1 with clear data. Verstappen identified the bouncing as the primary limitation during his Qatar GP Sprint performance.
“Yeah, you don’t want any kind of bouncing or jumping on a track like this. And yeah, that’s what we’ll try to work on plus trying to look after our front tyres a little bit better,” Verstappen stated.
Limited time for solutions before F1 Grand Prix qualifying
Red Bull faces a short timeframe to address the bouncing problems. With main qualifying scheduled for later in the day, the team must work quickly to implement changes. Verstappen’s Qatar GP Sprint data provides the team with information to analyze.
When asked whether Red Bull could fix the issues for qualifying, Verstappen remained cautious: “We’ll see. We’ll try. We’ll try our best.”
Tsunoda secures points despite penalty
Along with Verstappen’s Qatar GP Sprint result of P4, Yuki Tsunoda also brought home points for the Red Bull team. The Japanese driver started from P5 and maintained his place throughout. He received a five-second penalty for track limits violations on lap 14.
Fortunately for Tsunoda, Kimi Antonelli behind also received an identical penalty. This meant Tsunoda’s final classification remained unchanged at P5.
Speaking after the race in the TV pen, Tsunoda addressed the penalty situation: “Yeah, fortunately the one I was, the one I’m fighting with also got track limits and to be honest, track limits I had four times, maybe two times I can understand it but extra two I have to review why, but at least now I’m aware into qualifying to make sure I’m being careful in those corners.“
The track limits violations provide valuable information for the main qualifying session. Tsunoda now knows which corners require extra caution to avoid similar penalties.
Momentum building for Tsunoda
The points finish marked a successful Qatar GP Sprint weekend for Tsunoda alongside Verstappen’s Qatar GP Sprint P4 result. He expressed satisfaction with how the weekend has progressed so far: “Yeah, yeah definitely, I mean good race week so far, smooth, I knew that it was a matter of putting it all together for the weekend, so obviously important things coming up but yeah, I just do the same and put it all together more.”
Tsunoda’s consistent execution positions him well for the remainder of the Qatar GP weekend. His approach emphasized maintaining the same focus that produced the P5 finish.
Both Red Bull drivers now prepare for qualifying with clearer understanding of their limitations. The track limits awareness and bouncing data provide the team with direction for set-up adjustments.
