Max Verstappen endures painful qualifying session at Silverstone

It is not every day we see the championship leader struggling to find his footing, but that is exactly what happened at the British Grand Prix. Max Verstappen, piloting his Red Bull, could only manage a P7 finish during qualifying at Silverstone. For a driver of his caliber, witnessing such a result feels like a cold splash of water to the face.

Verstappen was blunt about where the machine was failing him. According to the driver, he felt "terribly slow on the straight" throughout the session. When the clock is ticking and you are fighting for every millisecond against the field, that kind of deficit is nothing short of a disaster for a team like Red Bull.

To hear him describe the session as "extra painful" really puts into perspective the uphill battle he faces for this Sunday's race. Qualifying is all about raw pace and precision, and when the car refuses to cooperate on the straights, the damage is often irreversible. It will be a fascinating, albeit difficult, race to watch as he tries to climb back from the middle of the pack.