Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished P1 and P2 respectively in qualifying ahead of Sunday’s Japanese GP. In what has been a common trend for the last two seasons, Verstappen is the favorite to win the race in Suzuka, as he has been at most circuits. However, there are things about qualifying in Japan that upset Verstappen on Saturday, and he feels he may not win for the second Grand Prix in a row.
As per De Telegraaf, Verstappen isn’t happy with his car’s performance on the long runs. It is an area where Ferrari is doing much better in, on this particular weekend. While he does not discount a win completely, Verstappen is not pleased with himself.
Best qualifying in Japan for Checo so far and only 0.066 between him and Max! #F1
@vladimirrys pic.twitter.com/1EiLER9dz3— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 6, 2024
“We will see how it turns out tomorrow.” said the 26-year-old on Saturday. “I am just not happy with myself, with how the long run looked.”
Verstappen also pointed out the areas they need to work harder on in detail. Tire degradation, which was one of Red Bull’s biggest strengths in 2023, seems to be something the Dutchman isn’t a fan of this season. Keeping that in mind, the Red Bull driver asked his engineers to make some changes ahead of the qualifying session. Unfortunately, it affected his feeling with the car.
Max Verstappen hoping for a dominant Japanese GP
Despite facing some close competition, Verstappen qualified in pole position for the 2024 Japanese GP. For most drivers, things do not get much better than that. But for Verstappen, it’s not enough, because the problems he faced on Saturday makes him way of whether he can bounce back from his DNF in Australia.
Verstappen feels that Ferrari is much more comfortable on the long runs. The Maranello-based outfit compromised on qualifying pace in favor of getting more out of the SF-24 on race day, something which Carlos Sainz admitted to.
Carlos Sainz is wary of the fact Ferrari ran less fuel during long runs compared to Red Bull
“In the race simulation this morning I think we were a bit lighter than Red Bull. Honestly we are maybe stronger in the race than in qualifying, but not as it seems in the long runs,… pic.twitter.com/pEKN5aqn3c
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) April 6, 2024
Sainz starts the race in P4, and is aiming P3 at the most, despite what Verstappen says about Ferrari’s advantage. Behind Verstappen, Sergio Perez starts and the Mexican driver will be oozing with confidence, after finishing just 0.066 seconds behind his teammate on Saturday.
Verstappen is worried about his race result, but Red Bull enter the Japanese GP as favorites not just to win, but to also get a 1-2 finish.
