Verstappen urges Red Bull to fix its starts

Max Verstappen is urging Red Bull to resolve its difficulties at the start. The call comes after his victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where he had also topped a Formula 1 qualifying session for the first time. The two sprint sessions in Singapore this year show that Red Bull has a competitive car. Verstappen, however, does not regard those results as equivalent to winning a Grand Prix.

“I want to win tomorrow,” he said. He then clarified: “I don't see this as a win in terms of actually winning a grand prix.” Verstappen had previously made clear that sprint races do not stir any particular emotion in him; it is a format he does not enjoy. “My emotion is the same,” he added, noting that having won at a circuit before made no difference to how he felt. His focus is now on Sunday’s Grand Prix.

The starts remain an urgent concern. In Singapore, where overtaking is difficult, Verstappen considers qualifying crucial, but has also singled out Red Bull’s weakness off the line. In Malaysia, both Mercedes cars got past him at the start; George Russell did the same in Singapore on Saturday. “The start was horrendous again, so that's definitely something that we need to improve on,” Verstappen admitted. “If you have something like that tomorrow, that's your race over, if nothing crazy happens.”

Asked about the issue, he described a car that fails to launch properly and does not accelerate off the line. Red Bull has been dealing with the problem for some time. Verstappen said there were limitations to work on, including on the team’s side, and argued that it needed to do better: Racing Bulls sometimes makes better starts. In his view, the sprint shows that the RB22 is moving in the right direction, but it does not change his demand for improvement in this area.

Saturday’s poor start ultimately did not cost Verstappen: Russell crashed in front of him at the end of the opening lap. Verstappen said his rival had been pushing hard before clipping the white line at the final corner and hitting the wall. With overtaking in Singapore almost impossible unless an opponent makes a mistake, the Dutchman had avoided taking similar risks. For the Grand Prix, he recommends staying calm and alert as the tyres wear and grip varies across the track.