Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been dominating the 2023 Formula 1 season like no one else has done before. However, they finally met their match at the Singapore GP. The World Champions fumbled and Carlos Sainz and Ferrari were ready to pounce. Take a look at their weekend, all their streaks which came to an end, and what Max Verstappen had to say about a pretty disappointing weekend for him.
A Struggle in Qualifying
The Singapore GP has often tripped up dominating teams. Mercedes fumbled here in 2015. Coincidentally, Ferrari took the win that time as well with Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull were struggling here from the word go. Every setup change they made worsened the situation.
Going into qualifying, Red Bull were still unsure of their setup. Their drivers were complaining about a lack of grip throughout the session. And in a frantic Q2 session, the unthinkable happened. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were knocked out in Q2.
Also Read: A ‘rare’ off-day for Max Verstappen & Red Bull at Singapore GP Qualifying
Damage Control in the Race
The Singapore GP is notoriously difficult to overtake. Red Bull could only do so much. A mistimed safety car hampered them even more as both their drivers were running an alternate strategy. Max Verstappen came home in P5 and Sergio Perez came home in P8, as Ferrari snatched victory.
A Run of Records Broken
With his first non-podium finish of the season, here’s a look at all the streaks Max Verstappen and Red Bull lost at the Singapore GP.
- 10 wins in a row for Max
- 15 podiums in a row for Max
- 15 1-2 finishes in a row for Max
- 12 races with at least 1 lap in the lead for Max
- A chance of a 100% podium rate in a season
- 15 wins in a row for Red Bull
- 15 races with at least one driver on the podium
- Unbeaten run in 2023
- One Red Bull driver on the podium at every Singapore GP since 2010
- 308 Days since a non-Red Bull driver won a Formula 1 race
Will Red Bull or any other constructor-driver pairing be able to go on such a streak again in Formula 1? Only time will tell.
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Max Verstappen’s Comments
“Everything went against us as well in the race with the safety cars, so it was possibly the worst-case scenario, as I really think if the safety cars worked out a little bit more in our favour I would’ve been fighting with the guys [at the front]”
He added: “It is not what we wanted but I think today was better, a little bit better, but we were still unlucky during the race with all the safety cars going against us.
