Max Verstappen (Red Bull), four-time Formula 1 world champion, didn’t hold back after finishing sixth at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the fourth race of the season, held this Sunday at the Sakhir circuit. Clearly frustrated, the Dutchman said his team isn’t in shape to fight for the championship this year.

“Everything went wrong”

“There was no way we could’ve done better than P6 today, no matter what strategy we tried,” said Verstappen, 27. The Dutch driver, who was coming off a win in Japan — his 64th career victory, putting him third on the all-time list — didn’t hide his disappointment with the car’s performance.

“Everything that could go wrong, went wrong,” added a visibly annoyed Mad Max in an interview with DAZN, moments after stepping out of his car in Bahrain.

Red Bull slipping behind

Far from his usual confident tone, Verstappen was brutally honest: “We’re not in the title fight right now, we’re just trying to fix the car.” His words echo the growing concerns inside the Red Bull camp. Not long ago, they looked set to dominate the season, but now the championship lead is starting to slip away.