Verstappen and Red Bull face major F1 mystery

Pirelli's tyres were the main topic of conversation ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, as a result of the brand-new surface at the Shanghai International Circuit. 

The sprint race showed that graining in the main race would be a key issue, something which ended up being completely accurate. 

Oscar Piastri started on pole ahead of George Russell, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen; however, the Dutchman knew he did not have a chance of victory.

Verstappen's expectations were entirely accurate in the opening laps, as he quickly fell from fourth to sixth and several seconds adrift of the top five. 

Sixth quickly looked set to be the four-time world champion's finishing position, with his pace having remained slow after pitting for a set of hard tyres. 

Interestingly, the Ferraris could not match Verstappen for the entirety of the second stint, with Lewis Hamilton having switched to a two-stop strategy – the ideal strategy according to Pirelli.

This promoted Verstappen into fifth, before he overtook Leclerc for fourth with a brilliant move at the third corner for fourth. 

Remarkably, a one-stop strategy turned out to be the best strategy, with Verstappen having looked much stronger in the closing stages when his fuel load was low. 

After the race, it was discovered that Red Bull had opted for a too conservative first stint and focused on tyre management. 

If Verstappen had been ordered to push more in the opening laps, then perhaps beating Russell for third would have been possible. The big question, though, is where did Verstappen's late pace come from?

View the lap times and race pace of the top drivers below. The text continues after that.

Red Bull confusion

The Chinese GP proved that Red Bull faces a major conundrum, and still does not have an understanding of the RB21. 

Verstappen finding better pace than the McLarens in the closing laps came as a huge surprise, given he had consistently been several tenths slower per lap. 

Red Bull's late race pace does offer some hope for the team, as recognised by Verstappen. An emergency meeting has been called by the Milton Keynes-based outfit for next week, to determine how McLaren can be caught.

On the topic of McLaren, the Woking-based team was less dominant than feared ahead of the event, despite Piastri and Norris having secured a one-two. 

The likelihood is the British team had more pace in its locker but opted to preserve its tyres; however, it still looked weaker than it did in Australia. 

Verstappen lost almost three-tenths of a second to Piastri every lap, a smaller margin than expected, whilst Russell lost two-tenths in his Mercedes. 

McLaren is the strongest team, but upgrades to its rivals could result in a change in the pecking order. 

Ultimately, Red Bull has significant homework to do, given the RB21's issues is both at street and traditional circuits. 

The team is struggling to understand the car's behaviour, something which is obvious when looking at Liam Lawson's struggles. 

Lawson finished 12th in Shanghai, although crossed the finish line in 15th after starting from the pit lane. 

Red Bull needs to unlock something to fight for the title, with the clock ticking until the Japanese Grand Prix in just under a fortnight.

View the average differences between winner Piastri and the rest of the field below.