Max Verstappen wants “a bit more pace” despite best Singapore Friday “in a long time”

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull will need to unlock “a bit more pace” to take the fight to McLaren for pole position at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Verstappen ended second practice third in the order, just over a tenth shy of Oscar Piastri’s benchmark.

The Dutchman heads into this weekend with back-to-back victories at Monza and Baku.

However, the Marina Bay Street Circuit poses an entirely different challenge, given it requires high downforce.

Verstappen was encouraged by his pace in FP2 but stressed the need to find lap time overnight.

“It wasn’t too bad. I think FP1 started quite nicely which was getting up to speed with things,” Verstappen said.

“The car was not too bad. A bit like the last two weekends where there were no major problems, and in FP2, we had a few things that we tried. Some were good. We just need to try and optimise that a bit more.

“Overall, in general, quite satisfied. Definitely need a bit more pace to fight at the front tomorrow.”

Verstappen remains unsure about the true competitiveness of Red Bull’s rivals.

While Piastri set the pace, Lando Norris didn’t get a clean run at the end of the session after a messy final part of FP2.

“It’s definitely very positive,” Verstappen added. “There are still a few things that we want to do better. It’s not like we need to throw around the setup completely, so that’s a good thing.

“We will see tomorrow. Is it going to be good enough to fight at the front? I don’t know. I always find FP2 is a bit difficult to say. People are running [different] engine modes, top-speed wise. I guess we will see in qualifying.”

Helmut Marko optimism

Red Bull have only won the Singapore GP once in the V6 hybrid era – 2022 with Sergio Perez.

It’s the only event on the current F1 calendar Verstappen has never won at.

Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko declared it “our best Friday in a long time here in Singapore.”

“It was definitely our best Friday in a long time here in Singapore,” Marko told Sky Germany.

“I think we’re very close. Ultimately, it will be crucial to get those last few hundredths out of it.

“We still have a few minor issues, but overall both Max and the engineers are happy with the car.”