Verstappen victim of engine cuts despite his first row

Un Max Verstappen (Red Bull) satisfied with his engine Renault, it is certainly as rare as a Daniel Ricciardo grumpy. It is therefore no surprise that the Dutchman criticized the French bloc after what is however a good qualifying on the Singapore circuit on Saturday, marked by the second time, as in 2017.

Very happy to be on the front row, really great! @redbullracing, thanks for the amazing because Tomorrow should be fun #KeepPushing #UnleashTheLion #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/Of5FierpJZ

- Max Verstappen (@ Max33Verstappen) September 15, 2018

The V6 Turbo Hybrid suffered cuts, both in Free Practice 3 and in qualifying. “We had to dismantle the engine and waste some time to improve drivability, but it still didn't work the way it was supposed to, explains Max Verstappen.

En starting Q3, I felt that the car was running correctly and I had no complaints, so when I saw my name in second place I was quite surprised after all these problems. » But the joy would be short-lived...

“During my last attempt, I tried to attack more. I was two tenths ahead, then I got to turns 16 and 17, where I had to downshift. The engine cut out, I had to abort my ride.

Quality result #SingaporeGP: HAM, Max P2, VET, BOT, RAI, Daniel P6, PER, GRO, OCO, HUL. #F1 pic.twitter.com/5KnZvodt5Q

- Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 15, 2018

I'm really surprised by this second place on the grid. » The Red Bull driver is optimistic about the engine performance on Sunday, as “normally in racing, the power is reduced”. Still, the problems seem numerous at full load. “It’s when you get close to the limit of the engine, we struggle with torque planning, drivability and other things. »