Why Is Max Verstappen Saying He Cannot Win the 2023 Singapore GP?

Max Verstappen has been the dominant force during the 2023 F1 World Championship. No matter what track or what conditions you put the Dutchman in, he is most certain to come out on top. The Dutch GP was a perfect example of this, where despite pitting a lap after his teammate in treacherous conditions, the Dutchman was able to make up loads of time and then eventually overtake Checo during the next round of pit stops.

Furthermore, the conditions were changing all the time, with the safety car and Red Flag interventions. Yet, Max braved everything and won the Dutch GP to equal the record for most consecutive race wins. With the Singapore GP around the corner, Max Verstappen must be looking forward to extending his win streak to 11 after he surpassed the record by winning the Italian GP. 

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The Dutchman and his team seem to be a little skeptical about the Singapore GP. Why is Max Verstappen not sure about winning the Singapore GP? Is there a specific reason behind it? Firstly, let’s look at the RB19 will fair around the streets of Singapore.

Does the Red Bull Racing RB19 suit the Marina Bay Street Circuit Layout?

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is one of a kind circuit with Monaco being the closest match if there has to be one. It’s a not narrow, slow-speed, technical, high-downforce circuit that demands a lot from the driver and the car. The extreme heat and a huge number of gear changes per lap add to the reliability troubles of a car. Braking performance, low-speed maneuverability, and traction out of a corner are key for a car to excel at the Singapore GP.

Coming to the RB19, there’s no doubt that it is a super-efficient car when it comes to aerodynamics. However, analysis shows that Red Bull RB19 isn’t the quickest car around the slow-speed corners. It was evident in Canada where Aston Martin and Ferrari excelled in the slow-speed corners. However, the long straights did help Red Bull gain some ground back. However, in Singapore, those long straights are scarce and the Red Bull might struggle to keep up. 

Even Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache agreed upon these weaknesses as he told Motorsport.com, “I think in the high downforce case, and especially very high downforce like Budapest and Monaco, I think it’s where our weaknesses appear. Also, in quali, and in low speed. I think some teams have a better compromise than us there, and that is something we have to improve more on.”

Will Max Verstappen extend his winning streak at the Singapore GP?

Max Verstappen is on a 10-win streak and would love to make it 11 at the Singapore GP. However, as mentioned above, the car won’t exactly be the strongest one around the Marina Bay circuit. Adding to that would be reliability issues. We saw Yuki Tsunoda retiring before the Italian GP due to a gearbox issue. Red Bull used the same gearbox and the huge number of gear changes during a lap of Singapore might worry the Milton Keynes Outfit. 

Read More: 2023 Singapore Grand Prix Schedule: When and Where to Watch, All You Need to Know About the Event at Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Monaco depicted a similar story to what we might see in Singapore. Both the Ferrari and Aston Martin were super quick at Monaco with Fernando Alonso just missing out on the pole to Max Verstappen. This could very well be the case in Singapore as well. While the Red Bull might not exactly be struggling at Singapore, it surely won’t be easy to get the all-crucial pole position as the AMR23 and SF23 are better suited to the track. 

Even if Red Bull comes out on top with the fastest car, Max Verstappen will have to look out for his teammate, Sergio Perez, the king of street circuits. And to top it all off is the greater odds of having a safety car which cannot be predicted. It’s very difficult to overtake around Singapore and if one of the top runners is able to get a cheap pitstop, he might ruin the streak for Max Verstappen.

What are Max Verstappen’s fears mirroring F1 2022 qualifying?

Max Verstappen finished P8 at the Singapore GP last year, just 1 position ahead of where he started, further explaining why the qualifying is so important around Singapore. Max Verstappen was asked to abort his penultimate qualifying lap at the 2022 Singapore GP after going purple in the first two sectors. On the final lap, he was asked to box as the car would have run out of fuel. The Dutchman has never won around Singapore and advised about the weekend at Marina Bay being a tough one after the Italian GP.

According to the F1 Nation Podcast, Max Verstappen talking about the Singapore GP said, “Little bit more difficult for us. But let’s see. We’ll do our best, we will try to go there and win again but it’s not going to be the strongest weekend for us.” Christian Horner echoed Max Verstappen’s comments as he said, “For sure. It’s a completely different circuit, Street circuit. Other cars will be competitive there for sure. For sure it will be a big challenge”

Sergio Perez also agreed on Singapore being a difficult weekend as he said, “I agree with Max. I think it’s going to be a weekend where basically anything can happen, and hopefully we are able to have a very strong Saturday, because if you don’t start in the front row, it’s very unlikely that you will have a shot at the victory. So hopefully we can repeat what we did last year there.”

Sergio Perez’s final statement to repeat the same feat as last year i.e. a victory sent another hurdle in Max Verstappen’s way of winning the Singapore GP. 

Only time will tell if Max Verstappen will be able to win the Singapore GP but it surely isn’t going to be a Sunday drive. 

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