Shanghai: Four-time world champion Max Verstappen cut a disconsolate figure Saturday after qualifying only eighth for the Chinese Grand Prix, describing his struggles with an underperforming Red Bull as a battle for "survival."

The Red Bull squad, once the dominant force in the sport, has been among the hardest hit by Formula 1's sweeping 2026 technical regulations. Verstappen’s lacklustre Saturday began with a ninth-place finish in the morning sprint race, falling outside the points, and continued into qualifying, where he failed to improve upon the eighth position in any session for the second consecutive day.

"Nothing works. So it's just not nice," a downcast Verstappen told Sky F1 after qualifying nearly a full second behind pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. "I cannot push. Every lap is honestly survival for me. I'm not enjoying it at all."

Red Bull’s lack of pace during the season’s second race weekend has been linked to the team's transition to in-house power units developed in partnership with Ford, which replaced Honda as the engine supplier. The team also appears to be struggling with the new aerodynamic and chassis mandates that define the current era’s 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power.

"It's just very inconsistent. I cannot build a reference in qualifying," Verstappen said. "Whatever lap I do, I'm like, that's it? Can I go four-tenths faster? Maybe? Can I go four-tenths slower? That's a big chance as well, because it's just all over the place."

The struggles extended to the other side of the garage, where teammate Isack Hadjar finished ninth after narrowly advancing to the final stage of qualifying.

While Verstappen managed to salvage a sixth-place finish from the back of the grid during the season opener in Australia, he expressed little optimism for a similar recovery in Sunday’s main event.

"It's just incredibly difficult," he said. "I honestly think it's going to be quite tough tomorrow."

With inputs from AFP