Max Verstappen calls for Red Bull investigation after 'feet flying' worry

Max Verstappen has given a blunt assessment of his struggles during sprint qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, revealing that his feet were literally flying off the pedals. The four-time champion urged Red Bull to investigate the ride quality of his RB22 after narrowly securing fifth place on the grid for Saturday’s sprint race.

Why it matters:

The balance issues that plagued Verstappen in SQ are a serious concern for Red Bull's championship defense. With parc fermé restrictions preventing setup changes before the sprint, the Dutchman may have to endure a difficult race. Any loss of confidence or consistency could open the door for rivals like Ferrari and McLaren to close the gap in both championships.

The details:

• Verstappen was heard venting over team radio throughout the session, struggling with rear-end instability and excessive bouncing over bumps.
• He admitted: "My feet were even flying off the pedals, just made it very difficult to be consistent." He added that he "couldn't put my foot down" over the bumps.
• The reigning champion progressed through SQ2 by a narrow margin before taking P5, but was far from satisfied. "I'm not surprised, just my feeling in the car was not very good," he said.
• Red Bull cannot modify the car's setup before the sprint due to parc fermé regulations, meaning Verstappen's discomfort is likely to persist for the shorter race.

What's next:

Verstappen hopes that the car's behavior will improve for the main qualifying session, but he acknowledged the team needs to understand the issue thoroughly. "It was not great. We were stuck with that for the sprint but some other things to understand, and hopefully that will then be a bit better for quali," he explained. The sprint race will be a critical test of both driver and machine before the grid is set for Sunday’s grand prix.