Verstappen: from soft-tyre gamble to survival mode amid shifting gremlins
Max Verstappen’s Singapore Grand Prix turned into a balancing act as he nursed second place through a string of complications. Red Bull arrived wary of Marina Bay’s recent hoodoo, but upgrades — a new floor and front wing — had looked promising. The Dutchman started on softs to attack, only to be thwarted by poor grip on the inside line at lights out.
Tyres early, problems later
Forced to pit earlier than planned, Verstappen shifted from offence to defence as tyre degradation mounted. But the bigger headache lay elsewhere.
"A lot of problems with downshifting and upshifting"
Verstappen cited gearshift troubles, a nervous rear end, braking inconsistencies and balance swings. He described the car "pushing when downshifting" while simultaneously dealing with oversteer — a difficult combination around a track that demands precision through thousands of shifts. The result: lock-ups, setup tweaks on the fly, and a focus on hanging onto P2.
Setup trade-offs backfired
With limited long-run data from practice, Red Bull made adjustments across the weekend that Verstappen said ultimately hurt race performance. Even so, he expressed disappointment at being unable to fight for the win after such a strong qualifying foundation.
Takeaway
Singapore offered reassurance about Red Bull’s development direction but exposed operational and drivability issues that need tidying up if Verstappen is to convert pace into wins on high-complexity street circuits.
