Sitting 43 points behind the Drivers’ Championship lead heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen doesn’t feel great about his title chances.

Verstappen qualified P7 in Austria – marking one of the worst qualifying sessions for the Dutch driver in a while.

Several factors impacted the Red Bull car since the track was windy and faced high temperatures.

The car is known for struggling with these conditions, and Verstappen doesn’t have much hope for better results in the race.

“So far this year, we’ve never really been more competitive in the race than qualifying as well. We’ll see what we can do tomorrow,” Verstappen said.

“The hotter conditions, for sure, are not that good for our car.”

His two championship rivals are starting the race P1 and P3 – looking poised to further distance themselves from Verstappen in the standings.

The four-time World Champion said he isn’t focused on the standings in the championship.

“I don’t look at it. I don’t look at the championship. I just do my thing every single race and just go from there,” Verstappen told reporters.

His statement shows the maturity and growth that he went through over the past couple of seasons, but it also highlights the tough position Red Bull is in.

Verstappen continues to drive at an all-time level – extracting pace from non-optimized machinery and finding ways to fight for a win.

Despite his level remaining high after four consecutive title victories, Red Bull’s RB21 is limiting Verstappen’s chances at winning a fifth straight title.

The team needs to squeeze performance from the car over the weekend, and when there are no more gains, the Red Bull car falls down the order.

To make matters worse, Red Bull brought an upgrade package to Austria, though nothing notable has changed regarding its consistency.

If Verstappen is already dismissing his chances to win the title, then it looks like the champion is either the McLaren drivers to lose.

Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying results

1. Lando Norris – McLaren
2. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
3. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
4. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
5. George Russell – Mercedes
6. Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls
7. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
8. Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber
9. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
10. Pierre Gasly – Alpine
11. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
12. Alex Albon – Williams
13. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
14. Franco Colapinto – Alpine
15. Ollie Bearman – Haas
16. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
17. Esteban Ocon – Haas
18. Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull
19. Carlos Sainz – Williams
20. Nico Hulkenberg – Sauber

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