The 2023 Singapore Grand Prix saw Red Bull take its first defeat of the season after Carlos Sainz of Ferrari took the Chequered Flag at Marina Bay Circuit. As the Austrian team lost their 15-race winning streak, Max Verstappen also saw his dominant run of ten consecutive race wins end. However, Verstappen was never in the fight for a win after Saturday’s poor qualification. Despite this, the Dutchman saw an outside chance of having a shot at the podium, if not at a win, which was jeopardized by an unwanted incident, as said by Christian Horner to F1 TV on YouTube.
In Lap 43 of the Singapore GP, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon pulled up by the side of the track. This triggered a virtual safety car that allowed Mercedes to pit for new medium tires.
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
This, on the other hand, ended Verstappen’s chances of doing anything substantial in the end. Therefore, the Dutchman lost out on a chance of finishing on the podium, as emphasized by Horner later on.
Christian Horner reveals where Verstappen lost the chance of redemption
During the post-Singapore GP race interview with F1 TV, Horner revealed the exact reason why Verstappen lost out his shot at the podium.
When asked about it in the interview, he said, “The Safety Car couldn’t have come at a worst time. That really killed any chance of getting into contention [of a podium.]” However, Verstappen finished in a respectable P5, because of George Russell’s crash in the end.
Our record-breaking run comes to an end, but a great effort on Race Day 🏁
Result 🏁 SAI, NOR, HAM, LEC, Max P5, GAS, PIA, Checo P8, LAW, MAG. #F1 pic.twitter.com/XZDggf2Aqc
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 17, 2023
Admittedly, Horner was not the only one who believed in the insane redemption chance. It was Verstappen himself who also thought that he could pull off a stunner at Marina Bay Circuit.
Max Verstappen also saw his hope quashed after the safety car
Max Verstappen pitted for fresher tires minutes before Ocon pulled up by the side of the track. This, as a result, neutralized the efforts made by him to have a positive impact on the race.
Even the Dutchman agreed that he revealed the same during the post-race interview. He said that he had great pace with the medium tires, but the timing of the safety car jeopardized his chances.
Nevertheless, Horner is of the opinion that the upcoming race in Japan will be a better one. It will be a matter of time before Max Verstappen and Red Bull get back to their winning ways after an unwanted break.
