With Friday’s practice sessions completed, Max Verstappen and Red Bull have something to worry about. Throughout the day, they have been lacking in pace when compared to the Ferraris and Mercedes.
This year has been close to perfect for Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Out of the 14 races that have taken place so far, Red Bull has won all of them, while Max Verstappen has won 12 of them. Verstappen is also on a winning streak with a record-breaking 10 wins in a row. Fans were wondering if Red Bull can win all 22 races this season. However, based on their Friday performance, their streak may be coming to an end.
During the first free practice session, Max Verstappen finished P3 and Perez in P7. In the second free practice session, the Red Bull drivers finished P7 and P8 with the Mexican driver ahead. The Ferraris filled the top 2 spots in both the practice sessions. This has caused some concern for Max Verstappen. After a disappointing day of free practice, Max Verstappen said:
“It has been worse than expected. We have work for tonight. We will try to improve but it is a big difference. Struggling a lot with the balance of the car. We tried a few things in FP2, some worked and some did not, but we didn’t get things together.”
🗣️ | 🇸🇬 Max after FP sessions:
“It has been worse than expected. We have work for tonight. We will try to improve but it is a big difference
“Struggling a lot with the balance of the car. We tried a few things in FP2, some worked and some did not, but we didn’t get things… pic.twitter.com/awwJsaQrW6
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) September 15, 2023
Red Bull will have one more free practice session before qualifying. The team will be up all night trying to figure out a solution for this issue. They will be hoping to fix all the issues before the end of the third free practice session.
Did Red Bull and Max Verstappen take a hit with the FIA’s new Technical Directive?
Before the start of this weekend, the FIA introduced 2 new technical directives named TD-18 and TD-39. These technical directives were introduced to limit the flexing of the wings and underbody. The teams were asked to submit the new designs by September 3rd in preparation for the Grand Prix this weekend.
While teams like Mercedes and Aston Martin rely a lot on “flexiwings” for their performance, Red Bull relies on the same phenomenon with the underfloor. While the TD-18 may not have affected Red Bull by much, the TD-39 might be the cause of Red Bull’s problems.
It is completely possible that Red Bull made a wrong call after the new technical directives were introduced. This allows the Ferraris and Mercedes to take advantage and try to win the Grand Prix. One driver who will be desperate for a win is Lewis Hamilton.
Bernie Collins and Danica Patrick discuss why Red Bull struggled during practice in Singapore 🔎 pic.twitter.com/1scpN6e1O1
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 15, 2023
Until the 2022 season, Lewis Hamilton had never gone a season without a race win. In 2022, he had none. He will be hoping to get a win this season to get out of his slump. It seems as though the Singapore Grand Prix gives him the best opportunity to do so.
The Ferraris look surprisingly strong in the Marina Bay Circuit. They have already filled the top 2 positions in the first 2 practice sessions of the weekend. This could lead to great things for the team. However, although we have seen Ferrari quick during qualifying, Red Bull’s race pace has proven to be much stronger than the Prancing Horse.
Do you think Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s winning streak will end at the Singapore Grand Prix? Post your answers in the comment section below.