Max Verstappen will start Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix from fourth on the grid after a tough qualifying session where he came close but couldn’t quite challenge for pole position. The Red Bull driver was just 0.176 seconds off the fastest time, as Oscar Piastri set a new lap record to take pole ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris.

Earlier in the day, Verstappen had finished third in the 19-lap Sprint race, losing second place to Piastri due to tyre wear. Red Bull were allowed to make changes to the car setup ahead of qualifying, but it didn’t seem to give Verstappen the extra edge he needed.

“We are not fast enough,” he admitted after the session. “I think the lap was alright, but just very difficult to get a, let’s say, consistent balance out of it, every lap, every corner, basically. So it was tough, but we are working on it. We are trying to do better.”

When asked by Sky Sports what would need to happen for him to win the race, Verstappen replied honestly: “If they all retire in front of me.” The presenter, Rachel Brookes, thought he might be joking and said fans “know him better than that,” but Verstappen stood by his comment, repeating, “No, I do. We are not fast enough.”

Even though Red Bull are struggling for pace, Verstappen said he still feels good behind the wheel. “I feel comfortable, let’s say like that, like confident to attack corners, but sometimes, my input is not what I’m getting back from the car,” he said. “And that makes it quite difficult to nail every corner.”

He also explained how the handling problems could affect the race. “When it’s not doing that, you’re probably degrading your tyres harder than cars around you. And that’s not ideal.”

Verstappen finished by saying the problem isn’t how he’s driving, but that the car is simply lacking pace. “I actually feel good. I probably feel in the best shape again, driving-wise, compared to even the years before.

“I feel like, you know, I’m going into qualifying, I’m nailing the laps, I’m doing a good job. The race so far we’re executing everything that we can, but when the base pace is lacking, there’s not much that you can do.”