Max Verstappen was knocked out in Q2 during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, securing only 11th place on the grid, while teammate Isack Hadjar starts eighth. The Red Bull driver described his RB22 as completely undriveable and voiced growing discontent with Formula 1's 2026 regulations, hinting at major life decisions. Jos Verstappen criticized the new era for prioritizing chaos over racing.
At Suzuka for round three of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Red Bull faced significant challenges during Saturday's qualifying. Four-time champion Max Verstappen radioed his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, saying, “I think there is something wrong with the car mate, it’s completely undriveable suddenly in this qualifying,” noting high-speed rear instability. He improved slightly but was displaced to 11th by Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad's late lap, 1.2 seconds off polesitter Kimi Antonelli. Teammate Isack Hadjar qualified eighth but admitted the team's struggles 'make no sense,' adding the car is 'hard to drive and slow' with poor balance that shifted dramatically from FP3 to qualifying. 'On my first lap, I thought I was going to crash straight away,' Hadjar said. Verstappen elaborated post-session: “I’m not even frustrated anymore, I’m beyond that... I don't get upset about it anymore with what’s going on.” He attributed issues to chassis problems, not the power unit, despite setup changes. This follows mixed results: strong in Australian GP opener (Verstappen sixth, Hadjar third before retiring), poor in China (four points total), confirming Melbourne as an outlier. Verstappen has criticized 2026 rules—featuring 50:50 internal combustion-electric power, active aerodynamics, and Overtake Mode—for emphasizing energy management over driver skill. 'It’s like Formula E on steroids,' he previously said. His father, Jos Verstappen, told De Telegraaf after Barcelona tests that the cars remove racing feel: 'They’re just managing the battery... creating chaos but nothing to do with racing.' Max hinted at future uncertainty: 'A lot of stuff for me personally to figure out... life, here,' tied to regulations. He finds joy in GT3 racing, like the recent NLS event where his team was disqualified for tyre excess. Jenson Button told Sky Sports F1 that such outings provide release but only wins will shift Verstappen's F1 view. Red Bull aims to resolve car issues soon.
