Friday proved to be a “positive” day for four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who will focus primarily on pushing further in preparation for qualifying.
Always on the ‘podium’
Max Verstappen’s final position did not change during the first two practice sessions of the Singapore Grand Prix, with the four-time world champion setting the third fastest time both in the late afternoon local session and under the night lights of Marina Bay. FP2 was disrupted by two incidents, first George Russell and then Liam Lawson, fortunately without consequences for either driver, though they did limit track activity.
Despite the interruptions, the Red Bull #1 driver came away with positive impressions. After the first day of running, he is now preparing for the battle for pole position, scheduled for 3:00 PM Italian time. “It didn’t go too badly,” the Dutchman commented regarding the two sessions, speaking to F1’s official channel. “FP2 went quite well, and we found the rhythm quickly, similar to the last two weekends where we didn’t encounter major issues. Here we tried a few things; some worked well, while others we will need to optimize, but overall it was a satisfying day, even though we need more pace to fight at the front.”
Finding that extra step is crucial not only for Verstappen to aim for his first career win at the Singapore Grand Prix but also to reopen the championship fight with Oscar Piastri, who was the fastest in FP2. “It was a positive day, but we still need to change a few things,” he reiterated. “This doesn’t mean we need to alter the entire setup, which is good. Tomorrow we will see if what we have is enough to fight at the front because it’s a bit difficult to tell after FP2, especially since we need to see what the others are running. We’ll find out in qualifying. Overnight, we’ll work on various details; we can improve slightly in all areas to put the car in the right window and push harder.”
Leave a Reply