The Singapore Grand Prix witnessed an interesting qualification. For the first time in the season, both the Red Bulls have failed to make it out of Q3. Sergio Perez took P13 and Max Verstappen started the race at P11. This is the first time except for grid penalties that Verstappen will start the race from way back.
However, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Carlos Sainz were the top three for the starting grid. So when the three sat down for their press conference, the two got the most anticipated news they were waiting for.
Max Verstappen was nowhere near the drivers. And with none of the Bulls qualifying for the third round other than Lawson, the race is expected to be interesting. However, during the race Russell, Sainz, and Leclerc were told about how none of the Red Bulls had qualified in Q3, their reactions were not the one to miss.
As soon the three heard the news, Russell and Leclerc shared a look and slowly the two smiled at the fact. Meanwhile, Carlos was in his own trance but quickly caught on and smiled too. This reaction went viral for all the right reasons as fans too laughed along with them.
“liam lawson was the only red bull driver in the top 10”
charles and george looking at each other ššpic.twitter.com/pT81jn7Ry5
ā clara (@leclercsletters) September 16, 2023
The 2023 season has been Red Bull’s from the first race of the season until now, the Bulls have won every single one of them. With only two race wins under Sergio Perez’s name and Max Verstappen making history, the team has a lot many records to break. But with the Singapore heat and the car not seemingly performing well there is no guarantee if the team will continue their dominant streak.
Max Verstappen talks about his chances of winning at Singapore
Max Verstappen took his time to respond to a few questions after a terrible qualification. The Bulls have not been used to failing to perform or even struggling to make it to Q3. However, Max Verstappen saw it all for himself.
After failing to bring the best result for the team, he talked about his performance. Nonetheless, the team has been able to score from different grid positions, but with Singapore Heat especially they seem to struggle. Verstappen, however, seems to have given up on the situation.
When talking to F1, he said, āI mean, FP3 was already a little bit better and I think we were heading in the right direction actually, but we changed a few more things, thinking we could do it in the set-upā¦ but it ended up being too aggressive where I was just sliding around a lot in every corner.”
“I was bottoming out a lot, and that was unloading the front tires so I couldn’t really hit the brakes like I wanted to ā I basically had to do a really gentle approach, otherwise, the car would go down too much, and that doesn’t work on a street circuit, so it was really, really difficult.ā
š» Max Verstappen on the radio:
“I’m sorry, but I cannot drive with these upshifts. What the f*ck is this? Unacceptable.” #F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/o9TkA3kocu
ā RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 16, 2023
With a lot of expectations on him, the Red Bull star might have to work quicker. The Singapore Grand Prix is only hours away. However, Checo and Verstappen are far behind. Red Bull has to pull everything in their power to make the car stronger. With that being the situation, Verstappen will have a lot more to fight for.