Max Verstappen Looks For Positives Ahead Of 'Challenging' Singapore GP

Saajan Jogia | 16 Hours Ago

MONZA, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 01: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on September 01, 2024 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) / Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen believes that his team is aware of the right setup for his RB20 F1 car for the upcoming race in Singapore, following an introspection after his unexpected P5 finish last weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Red Bull lost a considerable number of points in Baku, causing McLaren to overtake its lead in the Constructors' Championship. The papaya team now holds a 20-point lead over Red Bull, prompting the team to speed up its process in nailing the right setup on its title contender.

Verstappen revealed that the car felt "positive" during practice in Baku, but a change in setup before the qualifying round caused him to finish the Grand Prix in 7th. However, his teammate Sergio Perez's collision with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, which put them out of the race, elevated his position by two places.

The three-time world champion revealed that his team needs to focus on the car's handling in slow-speed corners, now that it knows what went wrong in the previous race. He told the media:

"We have learnt from what we did wrong last week in Baku and can try a few things differently this week in Singapore.

"The changes that we initially made in Baku were positive and we were heading in the right direction.

"We think we know what we can do better and of course, need to make sure that we are optimising the set-up.

"It will be important to keep the car under control a bit more in the slow-speed corners so it doesn't jump around and this should hopefully help us a lot."

Last year, the Marina Bay Street Circuit hosted the only race Red Bull couldn't triumph in, as Sainz took the victory. Otherwise, Red Bull secured victories in all the remaining races, bringing its tally to
21 wins out of the 22 Grands Prix. This season, however, the dynamics have changed dramatically, as Red Bull has won just 7 out of the 17 races thus far, a notable shift from last year.

A large part of Red Bull's struggles this season can be attributed to the tightening F1 grid, driven by the resurgence of rivals like McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari. However, it’s not just the external competition. Red Bull's internal challenges have also played a significant role. The handling issues with the RB20, worsened by a midseason upgrade, have made the season much more difficult for the Christian Horner-led team.

With Verstappen's lead in the top spot of the Drivers' Standings diminishing to 59 points over Lando Norris, here's what he had to say about the upcoming race:

"Marina Bay is a cool circuit but we do expect this to be a bit more of a challenge, as it has been historically.

"The race is usually quite close here and obviously very hot and humid. 

"We are continuing to fight for the Championship: we win and lose as a team and are going to keep pushing and try and come back stronger."