Max Verstappen reiterates Red Bull concern as issues worsen

Max Verstappen has reiterated that Red Bull continue to be "too slow", a complaint he first made after sprint qualifying. 

The Dutchman repeated his complaint of the RB21 after qualifying in fourth for the Chinese Grand Prix, having finished third in the sprint race ahead of the session. 

Whilst Red Bull is clearly off the pace of some of its rivals, Verstappen feels comfortable in the car and is doing his utmost to manage the issues.

"I feel good," Verstappen told media including RacingNews365. "Of course, I've been driving this car for a few years and there are always moments when it runs better. 

"But I think I know the car pretty well. So you try to drive around the problems a bit, as well as you can."

Data from the Shanghai International Circuit has shown that Red Bull's top speed is the greatest on the grid, but that it is languishing behind its rivals in every other area. 

The four-time world champion revealed that the balance of the car is changing in every corner for each run, further ringing the Milton Keynes-based team's alarms. 

"We are just too slow and you saw that in qualifying," added Verstappen. "In every corner the balance is just slightly different from the run before. I can't really hold onto anything either."

The biggest concern for the 27-year-old, however, is that he believes Red Bull's rivals have a greater advantage over them than they did in the closing stages of last season. 

Had the current gap been present last year, Verstappen has insisted he would never have claimed a fourth drivers' title.

"I think the gap is bigger than last year, though," he pointed out. "In the first few races [last year], I already had a reasonable gap.

"But even with how things are now, we wouldn't have won it last year. I think the gap is bigger now than it was then."