Verstappen fears "painful" Italian GP after qualifying shocker

Max Verstappen fears his Italian Grand Prix will be a "painful" experience following a qualifying in which he encountered an issue he had never previously experienced in his F1 career.

Three-time F1 champion Verstappen will start from seventh on the grid at Monza in his increasingly problematic Red Bull that has again left him shaking his head with dismay and wondering if there will be a cure.

What has left Verstappen perplexed is that he was able to produce a superb time in Q2 - finishing second quickest - on a scrub set of soft tyres, but on new rubber in Q3, was a third-of-a-second slower.

The Dutch driver added that "the balance difference I had in Q3 was very weird. I've never experienced something like that before."

Verstappen has long complained about the ongoing balance issues with the RB20 but with this new phenomenon he is now concerned for the race.

Asked whether he had any chance of victory, he replied: "Normally not". Instead, he fears the worst.

"The whole weekend we were too slow. The long runs, they might look good on paper but it didn't feel like that personally.

"The problem is that when you don't have a balanced car, in the race that is quite painful on tyres. Let's see. Maybe with how the car is at the moment, it might be a little bit better for the race.

"But we're also standing at the back of, let's say, the top group, so we just have to wait and see what happens in front of us. There are a few unknowns, with the graining as well. We'll find out tomorrow."

Verstappen facing damage limitation

Verstappen starts behind an all-McLaren front row spearheaded by his championship rival Lando Norris.

The 26-year-old also has both Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton ahead of him in third and sixth, with Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sandwiched in between.

Verstappen's cause is also hampered by the fact he is not running a Monza-specific rear wing, adding: "We've been trimming the wing a lot and that's not the most efficient way of going at it."

As to what he can achieve, he remarked: "Naturally, we will do as much as we can.

"It's just what it is. I mean, I'm trying to do the best I can, and more than that I cannot do."