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Max Verstappen reckons that the Singapore Grand Prix will prove a greater challenge for Red Bull.
Perez was victorious at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix. (Image credit: The Straits Times)Off the back of his tenth consecutive victory, Verstappen believes that Red Bull will face a little more difficulty at the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix. Red Bull has, thus far, proven itself to be entirely unbeatable. Every race this season has been won by the Austrian team.
So unbeatable has Red Bull been, that its performance this season has made the F1 history books. It became the first F1 team to win 15 consecutive races, counting from last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen’s victory at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend saw him become the F1 driver with the most consecutive wins. Ten consecutive victories for the Dutchman saw him surpass Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine.
Red Bull’s dominance this season means the team could be well on its way to winning every race this season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff conceded after the Italian Grand Prix that this is certainly a possibility.
“They are on track to win every race this season and that, by the way, is a record that I would think is a good one, because that is perfection,” said Wolff. The team principal added that the only way Red Bull could lose one of the remaining races is if they “screw it up themselves”.
“Anything” can happen in Singapore
However, Red Bull’s path to victory at the Singapore Grand Prix might not be all plain sailing. Speaking in the post-race press conference last weekend, Verstappen shared his outlook on the upcoming race.
“[It will be] little bit more difficult, I think for us. But we’ll see. We’ll do our best and of course we’ll try to go in there and try to win it again,” said Verstappen. He added:
“But it’s not, let’s say, going to be the strongest weekend for us.”
“I agree with Max,” commented Sergio Perez when asked for his view on the matter. “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.”
Last year’s Singapore Grand Prix was won by Red Bull, with Sergio Perez claiming victory. Verstappen had a rather more difficult weekend. The Dutchman qualified eighth, finishing seventh after a race that saw him suffer a poor start and make an error.
Just eight races stand in the way of a perfect season for Red Bull. It remains to be seen whether Verstappen’s comments are the product of a modest approach to his domination of the sport, or whether Singapore really will pose a challenge for the Milton Keynes outlet.
Featured Image Credit: PlanetF1
