Verstappen blames RB22 as illness adds to Zandvoort

Max Verstappen qualified only seventh for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, his worst home-track grid result since Formula 1 returned there in 2021, and said Red Bull’s persistent RB22 balance problems, not his flu-like illness, were behind the lack of pace.

Verstappen had already finished sixth in the Sprint, and Red Bull made significant setup changes before qualifying in an attempt to recover. They changed little. Speaking to media including RacingNews365 after the session, the Red Bull driver said the car still had “the same balance issues that we have every weekend” and that the changes “don't really do anything to the car.” At Zandvoort, that left Red Bull behind McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Verstappen said the issue was bigger than a missed setup for one circuit. He described the RB22’s biggest problem as balance that is not consistent through a corner, a weakness he said has been present all season and becomes worse on some tracks than others. Zandvoort, with its fast corners, banking and elevation changes, exposed that again. He called it “not the best layout” for the car and said Red Bull needs to “dial it out” rather than simply hope for friendlier circuits.

That diagnosis mattered more than his physical condition. Verstappen confirmed he had been unwell all weekend, saying, “I've felt better, yes,” and “Yeah, just not a lot of energy.” But when asked whether the illness affected his driving, he played it down. “I don't think so. I think once you're in the car, it'll be fine,” he said, adding that being sick was “just not pleasant.”

His view of Sunday’s outlook was blunt. “We're just too slow,” Verstappen said, adding that if the race is dry, “then you're just too slow,” making clear he does not expect changing conditions alone to transform Red Bull’s prospects.

The result leaves Verstappen on the fourth row for what multiple reports described as his final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort before the event drops off the calendar after 2026. With three wins at the circuit since 2021, he arrived with strong home-race history, but a fourth now looks unlikely unless Red Bull finds race pace that qualifying never showed.