Max Verstappen suffered a devastating blow during the 2025 F1 São Paulo GP Qualifying session. The Dutchman could only manage P16 after losing control at turn 9 with a massive snap of oversteer on one of his laps. This result marks one of his worst qualifying performances at a crucial moment for the championship. Despite trying multiple set-up changes, Red Bull found no solutions to the RB21’s fundamental problems.
Struggling to understand the problems
Verstappen’s São Paulo GP qualifying, and overall weekend has been problematic for both him and Red Bull. Despite constant adjustments throughout the weekend, the RB21 remains fundamentally off-pace.
Speaking after the session in the media pen Verstappen expressed deep frustration. “We need to understand what our problems are, first of all. I mean, it’s just not been good. I mean, it seems like we don’t really understand why it’s going that way,” he stated.
The grip issues plagued Verstappen’s São Paulo GP Qualifying session at Interlagos. Multiple set-up changes failed to produce any improvement for the struggling Red Bull driver: “There was just no grip. I changed a few things in the car and it didn’t work, so that’s something that we need to figure out.”
Questions about the downforce levels and balance limitations revealed the extent of Red Bull’s confusion. The team has tried a variety of things without finding any direction forward: “We don’t know. I mean, nothing really seems to work. We change a lot in the car and, yeah, we just don’t understand.”
The slow-speed sections proved particularly problematic during Verstappen’s São Paulo GP Qualifying session. Set-up changes that normally produce some feedback for the team were not working. “Yeah, but something is clearly just not working for us. Even with the changes of the setup, normally you would feel some kind of reaction, but it doesn’t. So yeah, something is just really off.”
Looking ahead to race day, Verstappen admitted he has no clear path forward. The overnight review faces a mountain of issues with no obvious solutions.
“I don’t know. I mean, there’s so many things that we need to get right, I guess. So we’ll look overnight again, I guess, to try something or understand something.”
When asked if others faced similar issues, Verstappen replied, “Yeah, similar. Similar, I would say. But, yeah, something is just not switching on in our car at the moment.”
Red Bull tried two different floor specifications throughout the weekend without success. The team even reverted to the old specification after finding no answers: “Well, used two different floors, so…Yeah. Clearly, also, that is not it.”
Championship hopes gone
Verstappen’s disastrous São Paulo GP Qualifying result effectively ended his hope for the 2025 F1 championship. Comparisons to last year’s P17 to victory drive have been noted by Verstappen as “different circumstances.”
When pressed more about his title chances, Verstappen did not hold back his assessment. Starting P16 with this level of performance has caused him to believe the championship is impossible.
“I can forget about that. Yes, for sure.”
The blunt admission left no room for optimism about his remaining chances. Further questions about whether it’s truly over prompted an even blunter response. The combination of Verstappen’s qualifying position and car pace leaves no realistic path. “Well where we are starting, so that is not going to work. And with this kind of performances, I mean, forget about it,” Verstappen stated after the 2025 São Paulo GP Qualifying session.
Finding solutions remains critical
Despite the championship implications, understanding the RB21’s problems remains the priority. Verstappen emphasized the importance of finding answers beyond just this race: “For sure, yeah. For sure. I mean, definitely something is off and we don’t understand how to fix it at the moment.”
The Sprint race earlier in the day provided another close call for Verstappen. He caught a kerb at Turn 3 shortly after Norris hit standing water. “Yeah, it was close, yeah. But I mean, that happens. You just need to correct it in time.”
Bortoleto’s massive crash in the Sprint prevented him from participating in qualifying. Verstappen checked on the rookie driver immediately after the incident: “Yeah, I immediately spoke to him after. He seems okay. That’s, of course, the most important in that case.”
With limited time before Sunday’s race, Red Bull faces a critical overnight challenge to diagnose fundamental issues. Without understanding the root cause of the RB21’s struggles, recovery from P16 seems highly unlikely.
