Max Verstappen, optimistic but not too much before Singapore…

World Championship leader with 59 points ahead of Lando Norris with seven rounds to go, Max Verstappen had a more serene context to defend his world champion title. The Dutchman, who experienced both the exhilaration of a title snatched in the last round in Abu Dhabi 2021 and the tranquility of a coronation six rounds from the end and with a 290-point lead over his runner-up Checo Pérez in 2023, would undoubtedly have signed with both hands to experience a 2024 season similar to that of last year, with 19 victories on the clock, including 10 consecutive ones.

Instead, competition has been organized, McLaren fought back, even took the lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, all this by spectacularly straightening out its MCL38 since Miami, to the point of making it, if not the fastest car, at least the fastest and most versatile everywhere. Only 6th at Monza then 5th at Baku last weekend, notably thanks to the crash in the last moments between Pérez and Sainz, Max Verstappen therefore knows that he will have to work hard until the end in order to get the 4th world title that he covets, in a context where his team is struggling to make its single-seaters work (no more victories since Barcelona).

Baku failed to completely turn things around for Red Bull

The dynamic is not brilliant (2 podiums in the last 7 Grands Prix), and Baku has highlighted the intrinsic concerns of this car. The pilot Red Bull has also returned from Singapore to discuss the causes of the RB20's troubles. " I don't know (where Checo was faster in Baku), because we were on different settings and coming into qualifying I knew the car wasn't there. I tried to optimise the car like I always do, but it didn't work, so I knew I was stuck with what I had."

Tough weekend. I know we can do much better, let's go for it next week!#KeepPushing #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/0nRiNcGJrW

- Max Verstappen (@ Max33Verstappen) September 15, 2024

“My first lap in Q3 would have been enough for P3 on the grid, he also regretted, after he lost the car (without crashing, however) in his attack lap. It didn't do me any good because I had to start at the back of the leading group. The balance wasn't there in the race either, I was stuck behind two cars in the middle of the race, so I killed my tires, in short nothing went in the right direction from qualifying on. But you can't change the car with the parc fermé."

Norris' tagging to continue in Singapore

Luckily, there won't be long to wait to try to get your head straight, as Singapore is this Sunday. "It's not our easiest weekend coming up, however, he assured, referring to the fact that Singapore was the scene of Red Bull's only defeat in 22 races last year. We analysed last year's race, to try to do better. I don't expect it to be one of our best weekends yet, but I hope at least what we did in Baku will help stabilise the car. I hope we can capitalise on that. It's still bumpier than Azerbaijan…

If Max raises the issue of bumps, it is obviously because his single-seater is not very fond of them, and yet they are on the programme for Singapore. "Our car is not really comfortable when it's bumpy, on the kerbs either. (she had suffered a lot in Monaco in particular). And there are quite a few here. We will have to stabilize that a little bit." Beaten in qualifying in particular by Liam Lawson, then interim at Racing Bulls last year, Verstappen hopes this time to pass the Q3 milestone, on a track which always eludes him and on which he has never been successful.

"I hope to be in Q3 yes, he smiled. I'm confident I'll do a better job than last year. I'm definitely aiming for Q3, but we'll see what's possible." While victory will probably be hard to come by, Max will above all try to neutralize Lando Norris once again, hoping not to concede too much ground to him in their fight for the title. Over the last three rounds, he has lost "only" 19 points. A small miracle given the form of each player...

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