Max Verstappen’s biggest concern heading into the Singapore GP
Max Verstappen has shared his biggest worry heading into Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen says Red Bull must fix its Formula 1 start problems if he is to have any chance of converting pole position into victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion overcame a challenge from the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to take his second pole in as many days around the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Verstappen has made it clear he is worried about Red Bull’s starts, after he lost a place to Mercedes driver George Russell with a sluggish getaway off the line in Saturday’s sprint race.
The Dutchman regained the lead when Russell crashed out at the end of the first lap but Verstappen knows he cannot afford a repeat given how difficult overtaking is in Singapore.
"I think no one really knows about the long runs, because we didn't really get to do any,” Verstappen said after qualifying.
“But for me, the most important part tomorrow is the start. We know that's not really been our strong area, so we need to work on that for for tomorrow.”
Asked what can be done overnight to improve the issues Red Bull is facing, Verstappen replied: “Just try to understand why it keeps going wrong, first of all, and then try to just do a better job tomorrow.”
It is not the first time this season that Red Bull's drivers have suffered from poor starts.
Speaking after the sprint race earlier on Saturday, Verstappen admitted: “The start was horrendous again, so that's definitely something that we need to improve on. If you have something like that tomorrow, that's your race over, if nothing crazy happens.”
Verstappen claimed that Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls was not experiencing the issues, despite having the same engine.
“We have a few limitations that we have to work on, and that is probably from our side as well. We have to do a better job because Racing Bulls sometimes does better starts than us, so yeah, we just need to be better,” he added.
Pressed on his comments about Racing Bulls enjoying better starts than Red Bull this season, Verstappen said: “The engines are exactly the same. Everything is the same, so there is no excuse.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
