Verstappen urges Red Bull changes after Silverstone qualifying struggle

Verstappen left searching for answers at Silverstone

Max Verstappen has made clear he wants Red Bull to consider significant overnight changes after a difficult British Grand Prix qualifying session left him seventh on the grid and concerned about his race prospects.

The result continued a difficult Silverstone weekend for Red Bull, with Hadjar also having been outspoken after earlier struggles, as covered in our report on Red Bull’s Silverstone start concerns. For Verstappen, however, the key issue after qualifying was not only balance, but straight-line performance.

Balance problems carry over from Friday

“The balance wasn’t right to begin with,” Verstappen said. “It wasn’t good on Friday either, so in that regard, it stayed the same. But we also lacked top speed. We were lagging behind a bit throughout the entire qualifying session.”

That deficit, he explained, had a knock-on effect around Silverstone. With the car spending longer at full throttle, Verstappen said Red Bull was using more battery power, leaving him exposed later in the lap.

“Then, of course, you use up more battery power because you’re going full throttle for longer. In the final sector, it’s a complete disaster.”

Engine concern raises race alarm

Verstappen’s main worry now centres on the race, where he fears the lack of speed on the straights could make him vulnerable. He said set-up changes attempted before qualifying had not delivered a meaningful improvement.

“We tried, but in terms of setup, it didn’t really improve anything,” he said. “On the straights, for some reason, there was something wrong with the engine. That’s obviously my biggest concern for the race.”

The dilemma is clear. Verstappen wants Red Bull to overhaul the car, but doing so would breach parc fermé conditions and force him to start from the pit lane. Even so, he suggested that simply accepting the current package could be equally damaging.

“I’d love to [make changes],” Verstappen stated. “If you start here, you’re going to keep driving it anyway. You’ll even drop more spots. In that regard, I’d rather we make some adjustments. The engine just isn’t running right. We were too slow on every straight.”

At a circuit where top speed matters, Verstappen’s verdict was blunt: “On a track like Silverstone, it’s obviously extra painful when you don’t have top speed.”