F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Source: Getty
Max Verstappen feels that one major factor that hurt his chances in the sprint shootout was the fact that the track was just too bumpy. The Red Bull driver will be starting the F1 Brazilian GP sprint from P4, as this was the best he could extract from the RB20.
Red Bull has struggled to keep up the pace against its rivals this season and in the second half of the season, this has helped Lando Norris to close the gap to Max Verstappen in the championship. In the sprint shootout, the RB20 always appeared to be a few tenths behind the benchmark times with most of it lost in the slow speed second sector.
In SQ3, Max Verstappen put together his fastest lap at the tail end of the session, but it was only good for P4, while title rival Lando Norris started the race in P2. Talking to Sky Sports, Verstappen pointed out that it was the bumpy nature of the track that proved to be a hindrance. He said:
