Max Verstappen had been leading the world championship since the inception of the current ground effect era in 2022.

Max Verstappen has admitted that Red Bull's grip issues will be "hard to fix" at the Australian Grand Prix as the reigning four-time world champion prepares for a difficult opening weekend of the season.

Max Verstappen will start the Australian Grand Prix in fifth and it's claimed the Red Bull driver has made a demand of the team's social media department.

After struggling with setup issues through Australian Grand Prix practice, Max Verstappen was surprised by his Red Bull car's performance on Saturday as the Formula One defending champion took third place in qualifying for the season-opening race.

Although Max Verstappen enters this year as the defending Champion, the consensus is that he could struggle to claim a fifth world title. Red Bull’s development last season was poor by the Austrian team’s usual standards,

Formula 1 defending champion Max Verstappen downplayed Red Bull's chances at Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix, saying the car is slower than their rivals and still working through some issues.

Verstappen was not the only Red Bull struggler, as his new team-mate Liam Lawson was a lowly 17th in Friday's second session, more than a second behind leader Leclerc. The Kiwi will be under pressure to at least cling onto Verstappen's coat-tails this season after earning a rapid promotion from Racing Bulls.

In the end, Max Verstappen just missed out on winning the Australian GP behind Lando Norris, after the safety car caused by Fernando Alonso neutralised the race. Aftewards, Red Bull team principal was happy with Max Verstappen's performance in the rain.

After struggling with setup issues through Australian Grand Prix practice, Max Verstappen was surprised by his Red Bull car's performance on Saturday as the Formula 1 defending champion took third place in qualifying for the season-opening race.