SUZUKA, Japan, March 29 (Reuters) - Max Verstappen had said he was 'beyond frustrated' after qualifying 11th for the Japanese Grand Prix, and finishing eighth in Sunday's race at Suzuka did little to lift his spirits.
Red Bull's four-times world champion, who has been an outspoken critic of Formula One's new regulations and engine era, refused to gloss over the situation.
"Yesterday was a disaster, today I just maximised my race but the feeling in the car is exactly the same as qualifying," the Dutch driver told Sky Sports television. "I was just trying to hang on to it, basically, in the race."
Sunday was the last race until May, with April's Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds called off due to conflict in the Gulf.
Verstappen, who will be racing in the 24 Hours of Nuerburgring in May, said he would do some more racing and "stuff that makes me smile" in his downtime but also talk to Red Bull about what might be done to improve the car.
"Try and find more pace and just a more stable balance," he added. "Because this is not sustainable for us... we need to work hard to understand our problems and of course bring improvements."
Verstappen had won the last four races from pole in Japan but it would have taken a major upset for that streak to continue in 2026, with sixth in the Australian season-opener in Melbourne still his best result of the campaign.
The 28-year-old has also made headlines for a clash with a British reporter, an incident that also raised questions about his general state of mind after losing his title last season to McLaren's Lando Norris.
On a more positive note, Sunday was the first time in the season's first three races that both cars had finished.
Verstappen's French teammate Isack Hadjar was 12th.
"Today we learned a lot more about where our cars' current limitations are," said team principal Laurent Mekies.
"It was important for us to get involved in those battles and for both Max and Isack to complete the race distance, so we could continue to gather more data. Of course, we have a lot of work to do and we now have a few weeks to try and find some fixes for those limitations.
"There is not just one area we can pinpoint as being the cause of our difficulties and we need to work on all areas. It feels bad now, but I have full confidence in the team."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in LondonEditing by Christian Radnedge)
