Verstappen and Red Bull reflect on 'tricky' Sprint Qualifying ahead of Dutch GP

Max Verstappen admits that he and Red Bull "need to understand" why they struggled for car balance during Sprint Qualifying ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, with the home hero only able to achieve sixth on the grid.

The four-time World Champion returned from the summer break as the centre of attention in the Zandvoort paddock, having announced a multi-year deal which will keep him at Red Bull until the end of the 2030 season.

The new agreement comes after the team had found more performance under the new-for-2026 regulations, with Verstappen having taken three podiums in the last four Grands Prix.

The 28-year-old has still yet to win a race this season though, and despite tasting success in front of his home fans on three previous occasions, it appears Verstappen is on the back foot this weekend.

After just one hour of practice, Verstappen was only able to qualify for Saturday's 24-lap Sprint in sixth, more than half a second adrift of polesitter, George Russell.

"I guess we out-qualified one car [from Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton in seventh], but yeah, just a bit tricky to find the grip, the balance," said Verstappen.

"It was already a step forward from FP1, but of course still lacking a little bit to be a little bit further up the road.

"It’s something that we need to understand. Now, what we can do with the balance for tomorrow, to find a bit more grip, really. A bit of balance, a bit of grip, to close the gap a bit."

Verstappen's best result in a Sprint this season came in Miami with P5, and generally he and the team have found a chunk of performance ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix.

When asked if that gives him confidence that there’s still a lot to play for this weekend, Verstappen replied: "Hit-and-miss, but let’s see what we can find. I cannot tell you right now."