Max Verstappen had a forgettable race in Singapore as he saw Carlos Sainz break his ten-race winning streak. The reason for the end of the Red Bull driver’s victorious run is attributed to an undrivable RB-19. However, as per a report by The Race, the same setup is expected to help Verstappen in Suzuka.
As F1 begins its Asian leg, the Suzuka Circuit is next on the F1 calendar. However, it is not a street circuit and it will be a very different race, especially for Verstappen, who had a difficult time maximizing the Red Bull in Singapore.
A tough weekend in Singapore, but a solid recovery during the race today @redbullracing 👊
Onto Suzuka 🇯🇵👋 pic.twitter.com/G9gnHyZXAi
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 17, 2023
Therefore, the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix can flip their fortunes as Verstappen will be given the same tools to battle the field at Suzuka.
Verstappen saw two different statistics in two different circuits in the same car
Ben Anderson, as per The Race analyst, Ben Anderson, explained that Verstappen had some test runs in his simulator for Singapore and Japan. While the Marina Bay Circuit race wasn’t a great one for the RB-19, it is predicted to go the other way around for Suzuka.
Explaining this, Anderson stated, “Verstappen said the simulator work ahead of the event suggested that the car would be in a tricky setup because Red Bull worked both Singapore and Japan in advance of this doubleheader and said the exact same car felt amazing around Suzuka on the sim.”
However, Lando Norris might be a cause of concern for the two-time world champion. This is because of the progress McLaren hopes to make in the upcoming race.
Max Verstappen to see his friend go neck-and-neck against him at Suzuka
According to renowned F1 commentator Martin Brundle, McLaren is all set to bring massive upgrades to their MCL60 at Suzuka which will give them a big boost in terms of pure pace.
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Therefore, it will be a big boost for Lando Norris, who already has a stunning MCL60 at his disposal. Even Jack Doohan claims that McLaren can win in Japan if everything falls into place for them.
All in all, Red Bull stands in front of having two back-to-back defeats in 2023, something they did not expect. Nevertheless, they will try their best to keep their dominance intact in Japan for the rest of the year.
