Max Verstappen has analyzed the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay, admitting that his race was decided in the opening moments. The Dutch driver reflected on Red Bull’s bold tire strategy and how the start ultimately determined the outcome on a circuit where overtaking proved nearly impossible.
One corner decided everything
The Singapore race was far from a thrilling spectacle, with very few surprises or overtakes. The narrow and twisty layout of the Marina Bay Street Circuit made passing extremely difficult, meaning that the race outcome was largely settled at the start. Red Bull made a bold choice to fit Max Verstappen’s RB21 with the soft compound tires, aiming to give him a launch advantage off the line, despite knowing that the softer compound could become a disadvantage as the first stint progressed.
Speaking during the post-race press conference, the four-time world champion confirmed that the plan was to try to overtake George Russell off the line. However, Verstappen also revealed that the soft tires had a secondary, defensive purpose — to protect him from the potential threat of the two McLaren drivers starting behind him.
“If I had taken the lead into Turn 1, would I have won? Yes, I think so,” Max Verstappen admitted. “It’s really hard to overtake here. But I didn’t take the lead at Turn 1. We already knew the inside line was the worse side for the start. For some reason, grip levels dropped compared to last year.”
The choice of the softs
Verstappen went on to explain the reasoning behind Red Bull’s decision to start on the soft compound, emphasizing that it was a calculated risk given the conditions on the grid and the light rain earlier in the day.
“Already on Saturday, I knew it would be very difficult to hold position if we started on the same tires as everyone else,” he said. “Then, since it had rained, we decided to go with the softs, mainly hoping to keep our position off the line and maybe even have a chance to fight for P1 into Turn 1. But once that didn’t happen, it became a management race — just trying to make those softs last long enough to reach a reasonable lap for the pit stop.”
The Dutch driver also revealed that mechanical issues complicated his race even further, preventing him from maximizing the car’s potential.
“Throughout the whole race I had a lot of issues with the gearbox,” Verstappen concluded. “That didn’t help. Probably the balance wasn’t what I wanted either. But at the same time, even if the balance had been much better, finishing second would have been the best possible result if we had stayed second into Turn 1. That’s just how it works here. When nothing unexpected happens — no Safety Car or unusual opportunity — you just hold your position.”
A weekend defined by the start
In the end, Verstappen’s Singapore Grand Prix was defined by the first few seconds of the race. Red Bull’s aggressive strategy gave him a chance to challenge for victory, but the lack of grip on the inside line and gearbox issues meant that opportunity slipped away. The result highlighted once again how crucial the start can be at Marina Bay, a track where strategy and precision often matter more than outright pace.
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