Max Verstappen was left disappointed with Red Bull’s pit stop performance during the Bahrain GP, adding to an already difficult weekend plagued by car issues. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the four-time world champion admitted that the slow stops only compounded his struggles on the track.
Both Verstappen and teammate Yuki Tsunoda had two pit stops during the race. The first round of stops for each driver lasted around four seconds, while Verstappen’s second stop stretched to six seconds—far from Red Bull’s usual benchmark.
The Dutchman expressed confusion over the operational setbacks, stating that pit stops are typically one of the team’s strongest areas. He acknowledged that the unusually slow stops were out of character and added to the team’s woes on a day when car performance was already lacking. It was later revealed that an electrical issue had caused the delays in the pit lane.
Asked by Sportskeeda if the slow pitstops from the team were disappointing, Max Verstappen said:
“Well yeah not good of course when you are waiting for so long and two separate problems. So not to our standards.”
Asked by Sportskeeda if the Red Bull driver anticipated the race going wrong at an operational level, he replied,
“No, I mean, no, of course, normally our pit stops are good. I don’t know what happened today.”
Max Verstappen reckoned tire management and balance issues are key to the pace issues on the RB21
Max Verstappen admitted that one of his main concerns following the 2025 Bahrain GP was the lack of pace, largely stemming from ongoing tire management and balance issues. The reigning world champion noted that tire performance has been more difficult to handle this season compared to 2024.
Last year, Verstappen dominated the season opener in Bahrain, securing a commanding victory in cooler track conditions. However, this time around, the significantly warmer temperatures, combined with the circuit’s abrasive surface, exposed several weaknesses in the RB21. The Dutchman struggled to extract performance throughout the weekend, qualifying only seventh and finishing sixth in the race.
Verstappen pointed out that the car’s balance, particularly at the rear, made tire degradation worse than expected, limiting his ability to push and overtake. The result starkly contrasts his previous dominance at the venue, raising concerns over Red Bull’s adaptability to varying conditions in the current season.
Asked if the operational issues concerned him more or the performance, Max Verstappen said:
“Yeah, the big problems are the pace that we have, basically tire management and balance. Yeah, those are my main problems.”
Asked about the disconnect in the corner balance, he added,
“Yeah, I mean, yeah, but I just feel like we are even worse on tyres somehow this not too bad around here of course then people made improvement. But I feel like we actually had a worse weekend than last year or whatever.”
Max Verstappen has slipped to third in the Drivers’ Championship following a difficult outing at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who was just one point behind Lando Norris after his win in Japan, now trails the Briton by eight points and sits five points behind Oscar Piastri, who currently holds second place in the standings. While Piastri has already secured two victories this season, Norris and Verstappen have each taken one win from the opening four rounds.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull’s situation is equally concerning. The Milton Keynes outfit now finds itself 80 points adrift of leaders McLaren and 21 points behind Mercedes, who have climbed to second in the standings. With rivals pulling ahead, Red Bull faces a race against time to identify and resolve the issues plaguing the RB21—particularly those related to tire management and rear-end balance—if they are to mount a serious title challenge this season.
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Edited by Tushhita Barua
