Max Verstappen has warned his rivals that Red Bull’s shocking performance at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix is simply a blip in the system, with the Dutchman expecting them to “be quick” in Suzuka.
Red Bull haven’t got to wait long to respond to their miserable few days at the Marina Bay Circuit, as the Japanese Grand Prix gets underway in just a handful of days.
The Milton Keynes-based team were disappointing from the get-go in Singapore, with Verstappen and Sergio Perez having been unhappy with the RB19 from Free Practice 1.
Changes were made to the car throughout free practice, yet it didn’t stop Verstappen and Perez from being eliminated in Q2.
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It marked the first time since the 2018 Russian Grand Prix that Red Bull didn’t have a car feature in Q3, highlighting how poor their Saturday performance in particular was.
Sunday’s race wasn’t as bad for the Austrians, although both Red Bull’s and Verstappen’s record-breaking winning streaks ended.
Verstappen managed to recover from P11 to fifth, whilst Perez salvaged eighth after starting 13th.
Both Red Bull drivers attempted to run deep into the race on their opening set of tyres, but a Safety Car and a VSC impacted the potential effectiveness of their strategy.
After being down in the dumps on Saturday, Verstappen was much brighter after the race on Sunday but admitted that the side did endure “some bad luck” during the race.
“We had some bad luck with the Safety Cars as well,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“The first one was at the wrong point and also the second one came at the wrong point for us. So a bit of a shame. I had fun in the second stint. We were quite quick on the medium compound.”
READ: Max Verstappen correctly predicts 2023 Singapore GP
It was Carlos Sainz who became just the third driver to win a race this season in Singapore, whilst he was the first non-Red Bull driver to finish on the top step of the podium.
Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton completed the entirely non-Red Bull podium, although Verstappen has warned the trio that the Austrians will be back to their usual selves in Japan.
“I think we will be quick in Suzuka. It’s not my problem, it’s their worries!” Verstappen warned.