12/04/2025 09:00
Red Bull simulator driver Sebastien Buemi has praised Max
Verstappen's "impressive" performance in the Japanese Grand Prix
and confirmed the team has upgrades coming soon. Verstappen
delivered one of the greatest qualifying laps of all-time to secure
pole position at Suzuka, before converting it into a remarkable
victory against McLaren. The reigning world champion defied the
odds in Japan, with Red Bull continuing to face issues with the
RB21. He enters this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix just a point
behind Lando Norris, with Buemi believing that Verstappen is
currently getting the maximum out of the team and the car. "I think
it was an amazing weekend," Buemi said during an interview with
RacingNews365 . "I think he's had a very strong start to the
season, considering the package. "He's getting everything out of
the car and the team. It's pretty impressive to watch, because it
clearly looks like the McLarens are faster, but he's just
constantly there. "And in Japan, obviously, having pole position, I
think, was a big boost, but then he was under pressure the whole
race, and he didn't make any mistakes. "I think, there is lots of
things that will change in Formula 1. It's a long championship.
There are updates coming. "There are different regulation changes
with the wings. You cannot predict, but we still hope to get better
and better throughout the season." How does Red Bull work with its
simulator team? A crucial detail behind Verstappen's first win of
the season is the work which the team completed between the end of
second practice and qualifying. Red Bull made several changes,
which included vital work with its simulator team. Buemi was not in
the team's sim for Japan, but has previously received significant
praise from Christian Horner. "I was not in [the sim] for the
weekend in Japan, but clearly, there is a lot of things you can do.
In FP1, FP2, now it's one-hour sessions, it's not that much time.
"I think it was FP2, there was red flags all the time. So then we
for sure, we try everything, and we try to generate performance,
and then discussing with [team at] the race track, they decide
whether they apply some of the changes or not. "It's important to
have good correlation for them to trust what's been the result in
the sim."
