After a frustrating weekend in Bahrain, Max Verstappen is hopeful that Red Bull can bounce back with a stronger showing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Last weekend, the Dutchman could only manage sixth place at the Bahrain International Circuit, finishing over half a minute behind winner Oscar Piastri. He struggled with brake issues throughout the whole race as he lost positions back out on track to drivers like Kimi Antonelli or Esteban Ocon on pure pace.

On top of that, both of his pit stops were really slow. Clearly disappointed, Verstappen skipped the usual post-race debrief, telling reporters he was “not interested” in discussing the race further.

READ MORE: ‘Alarming’ Bahrain GP performance forces Red Bull to react

Looking ahead to Jeddah, Verstappen believes the team has a chance to turn things around. “Bahrain was quite a difficult weekend for us and didn’t really go our way at all,” he admitted in Red Bull's Saudi Arabia preview.

“We had some issues that set us back, and we still have a lot of work to do on the car to get us where we need to be.”

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit, a fast and flowing street track, has historically suited Red Bull. Verstappen has won there twice since it joined the calendar in 2021, and the team is hopeful that lower tyre degradation and the high-speed layout will play to their strengths again.

“Last year, Jeddah was a good track for us,” Verstappen said. “It’s a proper high-speed semi-street circuit, which is fun to drive.”

With this being the final race of a busy triple-header, Verstappen is aiming to end the run on a high. “Typically, there’s less tyre degradation here, so it naturally should be a better race for us,” he explained.

“Hopefully we can find more pace and bring out a performance similar to Japan.”