Max Verstappen had a disastrous performance on Saturday as the Red Bull driver crashed out of Q2 in qualifying ahead of the Singapore GP. On top of this, the Dutchman was at risk of receiving a grid penalty for impeding other drivers in Q1. However, Verstappen is of the opinion that he did nothing wrong, as per FormulaPassion.
From the very beginning of the weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit, the defending champion was struggling to find grip on the track. His performance on Saturday was also marred by the fact that there were several cars ahead of him during his outlap. In the end, he could only muster up a P11 position.
So far, it’s a difficult weekend here in Singapore, resulting in a disappointing Qualifying. We go again tomorrow 👊#KeepPushing pic.twitter.com/bM5WNHRyb4
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 16, 2023
Verstappen needed to leave space in front of him before he could have his flying lap. Still, he found himself at the center of controversy. Citing this, he said that he did nothing wrong by stopping for a little longer at the pit lane, for which the FIA penalized him with a warning and a fine.
Max Verstappen admitted to being innocent but has pressing concerns
Following the conclusion of the qualifying session in Singapore, Verstappen was called by the stewards to explain the reason for his impediment. Before reaching out to them, the Dutchman said that he was innocent as the action was not deliberate.
Talking about this, he said, “I found myself with many cars in front of me. And so I wanted to stop and wait a bit to do a normal out-lap and not have to drive excessively slowly on the track. I will speak to the stewards, but honestly after the performances we had today a penalty means nothing .”
Not the Qualifying outcome we wanted, but the race weekend is far from over…
Provisionally the Bulls are in P11 and P13 for the #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 pic.twitter.com/guM1v0uFRz
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 16, 2023
Nevertheless, the two-time world champion was not concerned about the penalty. He got a of a warning and his team a fine of $5337. This angered a lot of fans, who expected him to get a penalty, especially considering how Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon got penalties for similar issues earlier this season.
Poor communication from the team was never an excuse for Charles to not get a penalty. pic.twitter.com/o8LnvNrppQ
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) September 16, 2023
Red Bull’s own problem more concerning for Verstappen than a penalty
As Max Verstappen is at risk of having a grid penalty for impending other drivers in Q1, that doesn’t bother him. It is the undrivable condition of the RB-19 which is of supreme concern.
Red Bull surprisingly experimented with their car at Marina Bay Circuit. They ran a lower downforce setup in the qualification and this resulted in a lack of grip both for Perez and Verstappen.
Verstappen complained about the grip throughout the Free Practice sessions and the qualification as his RB-19 was drifting everywhere. All in all, this could be a key reason behind the end of Red Bull’s dominance on Sunday.
