Ralf Schumacher has hit out at Max Verstappen’s reaction to the struggles he faced at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver did not finish on Sunday after retiring early due to an issue with his car.

The four-time world champion has had an underwhelming start to the new F1 season. The 28-year-old, who finished sixth in the Australian GP last weekend, was consistently vocal about the issues he was experiencing in Shanghai. While Kimi Anotnelli celebrated his first Grand Prix victory, Verstappen was left to wonder how his campaign can improve. He finished eighth in qualifying and was critical throughout the week, describing the Red Bull car as “undriveable”. Verstappen has become accustomed to challenging for the world championship but the new regulations have led to a shift. While former F1 driver Schumacher understands the Red Bull star’s frustration, he has instructed the Dutchman to change his approach.

“Max has proven that he is the fastest driver,” Schumacher said on Sky Sport Deutschland. “Now he needs to help his team, which is having problems and stop complaining. The fact that he then simply wants to drive in a different racing series… you can do that, but you don’t have to.”

It was recently announced that he will compete in the upcoming Nurburgring endurance race, which takes place a week before the Canadian GP in May. Meanwhile, Schumacher questioned why Verstappen has taken issue with the new regulations.

He added: “These new rules were decided four years ago. Back then, everyone only wanted electric vehicles, you mustn’t forget that. Many teams invested an incredible amount of money here.”

Having previously joked about using Mario Kart as an alternative to simulator training and enduring a disastrous first day on the track, finishing eighth in qualifying did not surprise Verstappen. “It’s incredibly tough to drive – there’s no balance, I cannot lean on the car. Every lap is a fight,” he said.

“It’s just very difficult. Every time I did another lap on a new tyre set it felt awful.”

Verstappen was not the only driver to experience a weekend to forget as both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failed to start after their cars were pulled from the race. Meanwhile, it was a moment to savour for Antonelli as he held off teammate George Russell to claim victory and Lewis Hamilton earned his first podium place with Ferrari.