Max Verstappen endured a thoroughly miserable afternoon at the Shanghai International Circuit, securing just eighth position on the grid for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix.
The Dutchman's best effort left him trailing pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli by more than a second, as Mercedes claimed both front row positions.
"We are where we should be, and that's probably where we will be racing tomorrow," the four-time world champion remarked with evident frustration.
The result caps a weekend of struggle for the Red Bull driver, who arrived in China hoping to build momentum following his recovery drive to sixth place at the Australian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen is not happy with his RB22 after labelling it "undriveable"
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Saturday's earlier sprint race proved equally torturous for the 71-time grand prix winner.
Starting from eighth on the grid, Verstappen's fortunes deteriorated rapidly when the safety car emerged following Nico Hulkenberg's stricken Audi.
The field pitted under caution, and the Dutchman found himself languishing in fourteenth position.
He managed to claw his way back through the order during the 19-lap contest, yet could only salvage ninth place at the chequered flag.
Finishing behind Liam Lawson of sister outfit Racing Bulls added insult to injury.
Max Verstappen has vented his fury at Red Bull yet again
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Most significantly, the result marked the first occasion Verstappen has failed to score points in a sprint race format.
Verstappen offered a withering verdict on his RB22 machinery following the qualifying session.
"The whole weekend we have been off. The car is completely undriveable. Every lap is like survival," he declared.
The reigning champion revealed that extensive modifications had yielded no improvement whatsoever.
"We changed a lot on the car and it made zero difference," he explained.
"It's incredibly tough to drive. There's no balance, I cannot lean on the car, every lap is a fight," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
The Dutchman admitted he feels unable to extract performance from the car, stating: "I cannot push because the car doesn't let me, so that is why I don't really feel in control."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies had already apologised to Max Verstappen this week
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Red Bull's switch to their own power unit this season, developed in partnership with Ford, has ended a remarkably fruitful six-year collaboration with Honda.
Verstappen indicated the new engine bears partial responsibility for his woes, though he acknowledged multiple factors were contributing to the dire situation.
The new technical regulations introduced at last weekend's Melbourne race have drawn particular ire from the Dutchman.
"From lap one of these new regulations, I have not enjoyed this car for sure," he stated bluntly.
Looking ahead to Sunday's grand prix, Verstappen offered little optimism: "It's not going to be a fun race."