Max Verstappen labelled his Singapore Grand Prix a case of ‘surviving’ after wrestling a compromised Red Bull to second place behind George Russell. Starting on soft tyres from the front row in drying conditions, Verstappen defended stoutly from Lando Norris but battled a suite of technical gremlins throughout.
Strategy swing and stubborn defence
Red Bull rolled the dice with the only soft‑tyre start among the top seven, banking on early track evolution and position. Russell escaped up the road, leaving Verstappen to manage tyres while absorbing constant pressure from Norris in the McLaren. On a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, the Dutchman’s composure preserved P2.
‘More difficult than I hoped for’
Verstappen reported downshift issues, braking inconsistencies and an overall lack of balance, all of which he wants the team to dissect before Austin.
‘We tried something different. It didn’t really work out… The whole race was quite difficult, more difficult than I hoped for, for a lot of different reasons. A few things that we need to understand why they went wrong today.’
Despite the troubles, Verstappen limited the damage in the championship picture and now trails Oscar Piastri by 63 points.
Takeaways for Red Bull
- Soft‑tyre start yielded track position but demanded tyre conservation.
- Persistent drivability issues – downshifts, braking and balance – hampered race pace.
- Data dive ahead of the United States GP is the priority to restore consistency.
