Max Verstappen has admitted to lacking trust in his Red Bull car after a challenging day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion struggled to find confidence at the high-speed Suzuka circuit on Friday.
Verstappen has been vocal about his car's shortcomings throughout the season so far, having failed to sparkle during events in Australia and China.
The early signs from Japan suggest things won't get any easier for the Dutch driver this weekend.
Max Verstappen has admitted to lacking trust in his Red Bull car after a challenging day of practice at the Japanese Grand Prix
REUTERS
His difficulties were particularly concerning at a track filled with high-speed corners where driver confidence is crucial.
Verstappen's frustrations were evident as he struggled to extract maximum performance from his troublesome Red Bull machine.
The 27-year-old posted the fifth-fastest time in first practice at Suzuka.
His performance dipped further in the second session, where he could only manage eighth quickest.
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Max Verstappen struggled during practice for the Japanese Grand Prix
REUTERS
The second practice was heavily disrupted by four red flags, complicating matters for all drivers.
More worrying than the timesheets was Verstappen's own assessment of his confidence in the car.
The frustrating practice sessions have left the Red Bull star and his team with significant work to do before qualifying.
"It was a pretty tough day today," Verstappen told Sky Sports. "We tried a lot, but it didn't really come together.
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"You need a lot of trust and commitment here, but I don't feel that at the moment."
The champion was candid about his struggles to find rhythm at the demanding Japanese circuit.
"Today has been quite difficult for me. I've been trying a lot of different things with the car, but it seems a lot of things are not really clicking at the moment," he continued.
"It's quite difficult just to put the lap down. You need a lot of confidence around here and, at the moment, I don't feel like I can use that, so we still have quite a bit of work to do."
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Friday's practice sessions also saw home favourite Yuki Tsunoda make his debut as a Red Bull driver.
The Japanese racer joined the team following a controversial swap with Liam Lawson.
Tsunoda finished just a tenth of a second behind Verstappen in first practice before failing to post a time in the second session.
Despite limited simulator time in his new car, Tsunoda quickly discovered the challenges ahead.
Max Verstappen will be hoping to win the Japanese Grand Prix after struggling in races in Australia and China so far
REUTERS
"It's a bit different to the simulator, what I felt, to be honest," Tsunoda revealed.
"Maybe a little bit more than I expected in terms of car feeling.
"I knew anyway that it's always a bit different in the real car and it was just a bit more exaggerated in the real car, a bit more tricky."
