For the first time since the Azerbaijan GP, Max Verstappen, failed to stand on the top spot of the podium. He was missing from the podium altogether after a less-than-impressive outing in Singapore. The Dutchman crossed the finish line in P5, over 20 seconds after race winner Carlos Sainz. Speaking to F1 Nation Podcast host Tom Clarkson, Verstappen claimed he will avenge the Singapore defeat by winning the Suzuka GP by a margin of at least 20 seconds.
It was a weekend to forget for Verstappen, as he even failed to qualify for Q3 after dominating the grid for more than half the season. Starting the race from P11, the Dutchman did not have the gods of luck on his side either, as two untimely Safety Cars (one being VSC) further hindered his chances of getting a podium finish. In the end, Verstappen could only muster up a P5 finish, which was still a good result given their struggles throughout the race weekend.
Though, by his standards, P5 is still pretty far back, and the Dutchman will put in all his effort to go back to standing on his favorite spot- the top of the podium.
Max Verstappen confident of a 20-second+ win in Suzuka
Walking alongside F1 Nation Podcast host Clarkson, Verstappen addressed what went wrong for his team over the weekend. He explained it was a combination of a few things that led to a performance slip and that his team was working on improving it, but the only way to check the improvements would be to come back next year because of the specific nature of the Singapore track. Clarkson then asked Verstappen about his hopes for Suzuka, to which the defending champ replied confidently.
“I mean, we were 20 seconds behind, 21 seconds behind at the line. So my target is to win by 20 seconds in Suzuka.”
Despite seeing his unbeaten streak come to an end, the 25-year-old was far from dejected as he knew it was inevitable. He admitted to feeling relaxed as it took a lot of pressure off him to keep the streak alive.
Verstappen can now focus purely on racing and get back to picking up the biggest trophy at the end of a race.
Vettel wished to see Verstappen break his record
In his run-up to ten consecutive wins, Verstappen broke a record that stood for a whole decade. Driving for the same team (Red Bull) in 2013, Sebastian Vettel won nine races in a row to become the record holder. When Verstappen equaled his record in Zandvoort, he revealed a text from Vettel that read the German was rallying in support of him to break the famous record. Vettel would send him positive texts and try to motivate him to stay focused on his driving instead of pushing for the record.
Sebastian Vettel congratulates Red Bull and Max Verstappen on their performances:
“You can only have respect for this. The performance of the entire team, and especially Max, is really great. They always show how their competitive advantage is great. You have to recognize these… pic.twitter.com/IjmBPngxpx
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 12, 2023
Verstappen also revealed he will meet with Vettel in Japan next week as part of a special activity involving all the drivers on the grid. It will give the two Red Bull drivers a good chance to have a chat and catch up, while Verstappen would also look to get some advice from one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport.
