P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull’s risk of changing its car “significantly” between the sprint race and qualifying backfired spectacularly.
Max Verstappen faced a setback in the Formula 1 title race as Red Bull’s significant car changes between the sprint race and qualifying backfired. Despite struggling with his Red Bull’s ride quality, Verstappen finished fifth in the sprint race and fell 40 points behind Lando Norris in the standings. Red Bull made daring car adjustments before qualifying, but both their drivers were eliminated in Q1, with Verstappen losing out on pace for the first time in his F1 career. Team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged the unexpected outcome and the need to learn and improve from the failed risk-taking strategy. Despite recent improvements, Red Bull’s struggles in Brazil have highlighted the challenges in finding the right car setup under Mekies’ new leadership. With Norris on pole and Verstappen’s title hopes now in jeopardy, Red Bull faces an uphill battle to recover in the race.
