Verstappen had a difficult race in Bahrain including delays at both pit stops, one with the pit-lane traffic light system and one with fitting a front wheel.

At one stage he was running last, and he managed to snatch sixth place from Alpine’s Pierre Gasly only on the last lap.

Verstappen said that the hot weather and rough track surface had accentuated Red Bull’s problems.

He said: “Here you just get punished a bit harder when you have big balance issues because the Tarmac is so aggressive.

“The wind is also quite high and the track has quite low grip, so everything is highlighted more.

“Just the whole weekend struggling a bit with brake feeling and stopping power, and besides that also very poor grip. We tried a lot on the set-up and basically all of it didn’t work, didn’t give us a clear direction to work in.”

Verstappen has said this year that he is “relaxed” about his future.

He and his management – his father Jos Verstappen and Dutchman Raymond Vermeulen – have open minds and are waiting longer to see how this season develops.

Any decision about moving teams for 2026 is complicated by the fact that F1 is introducing new chassis and engine rules that amount to the biggest regulation change in the sport’s history, and it is impossible to know which team will be in the best shape.

But it is widely accepted in the paddock that Mercedes are looking the best in terms of engine performance for 2026.

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has made no secret of his desire to sign Verstappen.

The two parties had talks last season but have yet to have any discussions this season about the future.