Welcome at RacingNews365

Become part of the largest racing community in the United Kingdom. Create your free account now!

  • Share your thoughts and opinions about F1
  • Win fantastic prizes
  • Get access to our premium content
  • Take advantage of more exclusive benefits
Sign in

Max Verstappen calls for Red Bull review after 'weird' qualifying

Max Verstappen failed to take the fight to McLaren in qualifying, but Red Bull has taken precautions ahead of forecast wet weather on Sunday in Spa.

Max Verstappen called for Red Bull to review his higher downforce setup, following a "weird" qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix.  In anticipation of heavy rain for the grand prix, the Milton Keynes-based outfit increased the downforce level on Verstappen's RB21 after running a thin rear wing in the sprint sessions.  As a result, it slowed the Dutchman compared to the McLarens, with Verstappen having found himself in fourth.  Charles Leclerc pipped the 27-year-old to third, as a result of the reigning world champion having lacked feeling in the car. "I was actually hoping it would help the driving feeling, just maybe a bit draggy" Verstappen told Sky F1 , discussing the higher downforce setup.  "But it didn't do that. It just was a bit more draggy and not the right balance. So, yeah, it's a bit weird, something, of course, that we need to look into.   "I felt like the whole qualifying I couldn't really push, and around here at Spa, you need to be committed on entry. You want the car to rotate. And I couldn't do that, basically." Red Bull opted to make setup changes having been severely caught out by the wet weather in Silverstone, where Verstappen tumbled from pole to 10th.  Verstappen urged caution on what is possible in the race, with him wary the level of rain needs to be discovered first. "The wet around here, it's always very tricky," said Verstappen. "Also, we have to wait and see how much rain is going to fall.  "So ideally, of course I would like to at least be P3, fighting them McLarens will be very hard. But yeah, anything can happen."

Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.

Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar

A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..

F1 calendar 2026
Race Date
nld Dutch GP 23 Aug 2026
ita Italian GP 06 Sep 2026
esp Spanish GP 13 Sep 2026
aze Azerbaijan GP 26 Sep 2026
bhr Bahrain GP 04 Oct 2026
sgp Singapore GP 11 Oct 2026
Full calendar
x
LATEST Red Bull weighing up major F1 decision