Of all circuits on the current Formula 1 calendar, there are only two where Max Verstappen has yet to win: the Madring and the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. While that is entirely logical in the case of Madrid – after all, F1 visited the brand-new street track around IFEMA for the first time this year – Verstappen is already heading into his 10th attempt to win the race in Singapore.
The Dutchman has stood on the podium in Singapore four times, but victory is still missing from his record. It should be noted, however, that 2022 could have been the year of his first win. Verstappen was comfortably the fastest in the partly wet qualifying session, but had to abandon his final run because Red Bull had made a miscalculation regarding the amount of fuel in his car.
Partly for that reason, Verstappen acknowledged during Thursday’s media day in the paddock that he still has ‘unfinished business’ in Singapore.
“In the last few years, we’ve always been bad in low speed and just kerb riding, taking the bumps”, Verstappen said when asked why the Singapore street circuit has always been an Achilles’ heel for Red Bull.
“This year’s car is probably more competitive in low-speed corners, but we still struggle on bumps and kerbs. We know that.
“So, of course, I have unfinished business here when you have not won the race yet. Actually every year I come back and I’m trying to win it, but we also need to be realistic. But I hope that we can be, let’s say, a little bit more competitive this year, compared to the last few years.”
Does the RB22 work everywhere after the Baku upgrade?
Following the double podium in Baku and the first victory of the year in Malaysia, Red Bull has reason for optimism. The major upgrade package introduced in Baku – also the last significant step for the RB22 – appears to have had an immense impact, although Verstappen stresses that its effectiveness can vary from circuit to circuit.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
“The updates will work, but some tracks are naturally just a little bit better for us. In Baku, it was a lot colder and harder to switch the tyres on. Malaysia was the complete opposite, and this is again a hot place where the tyres do switch on, but we still have our limitations.
“For me, this is again another extreme compared to what we had in Baku or Malaysia, but I also know that some other cars are very good in the low-speed corners, especially on street circuits. But yeah, we want to try and be competitive, and, let’s say, in the hunt for the podium.”
Alongside Mercedes, attention in that respect also turns to Ferrari, which according to Verstappen, handles bumps and kerbs extremely well and also looks competitive in slow corners.
Verstappen’s team-mate Isack Hadjar, however, is fully confident that Red Bull can overcome its Singapore curse this year, precisely because the upgrade package has already proved effective at two very different circuits.
“It’s a good question. If I’m following my understanding of the car and this season, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be performing on a track like this”, Hadjar said when asked by Motorsport.com about the balance between Red Bull’s low-speed strength and its kerb-riding weakness.
“Especially if you look at the last two rounds, those were two very different tracks, Baku and Sepang. They have literally nothing in common, yet the car was delivering on both occasions. So yeah, why not here? I guess you’ll find out tomorrow, just like me, but I’m hoping for the best.”
It is not only Baku and Malaysia that give Hadjar confidence, but also the second place Verstappen managed to secure in Madrid. According to Hadjar, that shows the RB22 might not be as disastrous over kerbs as perhaps feared.
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
“To be honest, even though I was out of the car in Madrid, it seemed like Max was pretty good in sector 1 with the huge chicane. He managed to cut across that, but it is still something that we want to improve.
“I still feel at times that I’m having ride limitations. That doesn’t even have to be over the kerbs, it can just be a bumpy track upsetting the car. So yes, there are definitely still a few things that we can improve.”
Singapore sprint brings additional challenges
In Singapore this weekend, however, it will not all come down to a car’s outright peak performance. It is a sprint weekend with just one free practice session, meaning execution will be crucial for teams to get as close as possible to the car’s maximum potential in a short space of time.
“It’s every year that during the day you have a little bit less grip here. It’s probably a little bit harder on the tyres, but the most important thing is just to find a good balance with the car straight away in FP1. That will probably just help us a lot for the rest of your weekend”, Verstappen said when asked about the challenges of a sprint weekend in Singapore.
“Actually when you drive during the day in a sprint compared to the night, it will have different challenges, but at the same time we also know that this track is very hard to pass on. So I think at the end of the day, the most important thing is qualifying – for both sprint and the race, that normally defines where you finish.”
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