Following the disappointing performance in the Singapore GP last weekend, Max Verstappen brought Red Bull right back to the top. As the Dutchman took his Red Bull on top of the timesheet at Suzuka, he found vulnerability amid the sheer domination nonetheless.
The 2023 Singapore race saw the Austrian team lose their first race of the season. Through it, they lost 15 back-to-back winning streaks that began from last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Marina Bay circuit also saw Verstappen’s back-to-back 10-race winning streak come to an end.
Already looking ahead to Suzuka 🇯🇵⏭️ pic.twitter.com/s2YX47MK0V
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 17, 2023
Admittedly, the loss of the defending champions at Marina Bay Circuit was attributed to the latest FIA clampdown on Flexible wings. However, snubbing it down, Verstappen has proven it wrong with his latest performance in FP1 and FP2.
One man army, Max Verstappen pulls Red Bull to the top
The two practice sessions saw Verstappen finish right at the top. The Dutchman was over six-tenths clear over Carlos Sainz in FP1 and three-tenths clear over Charles Leclerc in FP2.
The numbers prove that his usual dominance is back in Japan. Meanwhile, his teammate Sergio Perez had an off Friday. The Mexican driver failed to keep up with the Aston Martins and had a P11 and P9 finish.
FP2 ends with a 🚩 after GAS hits the wall 🏁 Max finishes Friday in top spot with Checo in P9 ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/L3ytGDga0b
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 22, 2023
The Singapore GP race saw the Red Bull of Verstappen and Perez suffer from balance issues as both of them went out in Q2 for the first time in five years. However, in Suzuka, that issue seemed to have been rectified, as the Dutchman knows what he needs to do to come out on top.
How did Red Bull come out supreme amid recent vulnerability?
Even though Max Verstappen and Red Bull were on top, they also found recent vulnerability in terms of speed against Ferrari. Nevertheless, the right tire strategy was enough to send them to the top.
The Suzuka Circuit is very demanding on tires. On a sunny day, the track can melt the tire compounds like snow. On this, the RB-19 has a clear-cut advantage of being the most optimized challenger when it comes to tire wear.
As things stand, Verstappen would be eager to go right back at the top when business starts on Saturday. With that, he would want to take his victory count to 13 this season.
