A battle on and off the track for Max Verstappen after finishing 2nd at Singapore Grand Prix
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Dutch driver Max Verstappen in action during the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, on Sept 22.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
SINGAPORE – Max Verstappen arrived in Singapore determined to maintain his lead in the drivers’ championship battle with McLaren’s Lando Norris, and he leaves the Republic with two fights on his hands.
While Norris slashed Verstappen’s lead to 52 points by taking victory
The Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix weekend saw Verstappen making the headlines for the wrong reasons after being ordered by motorsports’ governing body Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) to “accomplish some work of public interest” for using an expletive during a press conference in Singapore on Sept 19.
On Sept 21, at the FIA press conference for the top three drivers in qualifying, Verstappen showed his displeasure at the punishment meted out by giving mostly monosyllabic answers.
He later called the situation “ridiculous” and criticised the FIA’s approach, stating it was “not the right way to go forward in our sport”.
On the track, Verstappen will have his work cut out for the remaining six races in the season after Norris’ latest win, as the Dutchman looks to get the better of Norris in Austin, Mexico, Brazil and Las Vegas before the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
While Norris has been slowly chipping away at his lead, Verstappen believes that his performance in Singapore was a positive one, given that he had not been expected to do well on the tight 4.94km street circuit.
Deeming the race as “overall quite a lonely race for me” given Norris’ dominance, Verstappen said: “As compared to the start of the weekend, we improved quite nicely. That’s been great for us as a team on a track that we know we’re not (usually) performing the best. I’m happy with second today.
“Lando drove a great race and he had a great weekend, that’s for sure.”
Verstappen’s view that finishing second is damage limitation comes from the fact that Red Bull have suffered a dip in form – the Austrian outfit and Verstappen have not won in eight races since the Spanish Grand Prix in June – and that the Marina Bay Street Circuit has not been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull.
The Singapore race was the only one out of 22 that they failed to win in a dominant 2023 season and Verstappen has never been at the top of the podium here, finishing fifth last season.
On the pressure from Norris, Verstappen said: “We just need to keep on trying, try to at one point overturn it – not always finishing behind, but we’ll see how that goes. I’m looking forward to a bit of rest.”
His off-track matters earlier in the week would certainly have not helped the Dutchman’s mood. By the end of the post-race press conference, his answers got shorter and shorter, much like his lead at the top of the standings.
When asked if he was expecting this championship to go to the wire, Verstappen simply looked up and muttered: “Yeah time will tell.”
His points advantage could have been cut to 51 points, had it not been for a late, successful fastest lap from RB’s Daniel Ricciardo, whose effort denied Norris the bonus point.
The grid may have seen the last of experienced driver Ricciardo. There has been speculation that this could be the 35-year-old Australian’s last race with RB.
After the Singapore Grand Prix, where he finished 18th, he appeared to have come to terms that his time in F1 may be coming to an end.
Red Bull and RB reserve driver Liam Lawson has been tipped to replace the eight-time grand prix winner for the remaining six races of the season.
Ricciardo has struggled this season, scoring points in just four of the 18 rounds so far.
He said: “Obviously I tried to become world champion (he was third twice). It’s a tall task that we ask from ourselves and obviously some achieve it, some don’t.
“In the end, if I came up a little short, I can’t be too hard on myself. I’m happy with the effort I put in and for that, there’s no sadness or feeling of regret or what could’ve been, I put my best foot forward.”
