Waché: setup conservatism cost Red Bull a bigger result
Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché left Singapore with mixed feelings, admitting the team “missed an opportunity” at Marina Bay by being “not aggressive enough” on car setup. The updated RB21 — boosted by an upgraded floor introduced at Monza and a new front wing for Singapore — signalled a return to form, but Waché felt the full potential wasn’t unlocked.
Qualifying promise, race execution
Max Verstappen was a genuine pole contender in Q3 before encountering the turbulent wake from Lando Norris on his final push lap, ultimately lining up P2 behind George Russell. Starting on the soft tyre, Verstappen couldn’t convert the initial grip into the lead but delivered a defensive masterclass to hold Norris at bay and secure second place, five seconds behind the winning Mercedes. It marked the Dutchman’s fourth consecutive podium.
A litmus test that bodes well — with a caveat
Given Red Bull’s recent struggles at high-downforce, low-speed venues like Marina Bay, Singapore was framed internally as a litmus test for the revised package. Waché’s verdict: the car is “better,” the drivers can “use it more,” but the setup window wasn’t fully exploited. With medium-speed tracks such as Austin and Mexico City ahead — the type of profile where rivals like McLaren have recently “killed” Red Bull, as team principal Laurent Mekies observed at Zandvoort — the Singapore step is encouraging, provided the team leans further into the setup to extract the last tenths.
Tsunoda’s tough weekend, and the road to season’s end
While Yuki Tsunoda endured a difficult event — a comedown after the relative highs of Baku — the broader trajectory at the senior team appears positive. For Waché, the glass is half full: the car’s baseline has improved and the path to more performance is clearer. The glass is also half empty: the feeling that a bigger result was on the table in Singapore if Red Bull had taken bolder setup choices.
