Max Verstappen heads to Singapore believing Red Bull has a stronger chance than in recent years after making the RB22 more predictable, balanced and easier to drive at the limit. Marina Bay remains the only circuit on the current Formula 1 calendar where the Dutchman has never won, but the progress made through recent upgrades has renewed confidence that he can finally change that record.
The trend behind that optimism is clear. Max Verstappen has finished on the podium in six of the last seven races, including his long-awaited first victory of the season in Malaysia. Although circumstances have sometimes worked in his favour, he has consistently been among the leading drivers for several months and has scored more points since Belgium than anyone other than Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull RB22 upgrades have made the car more predictable
Red Bull’s recent improvement has been helped by developments introduced across the latest Grands Prix, including the package brought to Baku. Those upgrades have added outright downforce, but their most important contribution appears to have been making the RB22 better balanced, more predictable and easier for the drivers to understand.
The result is a less extreme car with a broader operating window, an important advantage in a season where the competitive order behind the leading team has often changed depending on circuit characteristics.
Red Bull expected to be competitive in Baku because the Azerbaijani circuit suited several of the RB22’s strengths. The more surprising performance came at Sepang, where the Milton Keynes team emerged as the clear benchmark.
The temperatures and track surface in Malaysia played a part, particularly because they increased the importance of performance through slower sections, but even Red Bull’s drivers did not expect the car to be as competitive as it was, beyond the strength already evident on the straights.
Max Verstappen still has unfinished business with Singapore
Those encouraging signs now carry into Singapore, where Red Bull has unfinished business. The team’s most recent victory at Marina Bay came in 2022, while in 2023 Singapore famously ended Max Verstappen’s run of ten consecutive Grand Prix victories.
The problem has historically gone beyond race results. Singapore’s intense street-circuit character has often exposed weaknesses in Red Bull machinery, particularly when dealing with kerbs and an uneven surface.
The RB22 still has difficulties over bumps, especially on corner entry and through the middle of the turn, but this year’s car appears to give Red Bull more freedom than previous versions. It is also significantly more consistent in slow corners and on stop-start circuits.
“In recent years we have always been weak in slow corners, over the kerbs and on the bumps,” Max Verstappen explained. “This year’s car is probably more competitive in the slow corners, but we continue to struggle with the bumps and kerbs, and we know that.”
Those difficulties have been visible elsewhere during the season. At circuits such as Canada and Baku, Red Bull’s drivers repeatedly complained about the car bouncing under braking.
“I still have unfinished business here: when you haven’t won a race, you always want to come back and try again,” Max Verstappen added. “In reality, I come back every year with the objective of winning, although you have to be realistic. Hopefully this year we will be more competitive.”
Singapore therefore carries extra personal significance for Max Verstappen, because Marina Bay remains the only circuit on the calendar where he has yet to win during his Formula 1 career.
Isack Hadjar sees no reason Red Bull cannot be competitive
Isack Hadjar shares his team-mate’s confidence. Based on the RB22’s strengths and how the car has performed during the season, the Frenchman sees no obvious reason why Red Bull should not fight for a major result this weekend.
“Based on my understanding of the car and how the season has gone so far, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be competitive here. I’m optimistic,” Isack Hadjar said.
The evidence from similar circuits supports that belief. The RB22 has generally performed well on tracks featuring slower corners and stop-start characteristics, including Monaco, Canada, Austria and Baku.
Combined with what Red Bull showed across the last two Grands Prix, that record gives the team additional confidence before the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint weekend.
Max Verstappen explains the biggest change in the RB22
The key question is what exactly has changed. Max Verstappen has acknowledged that recent circuits have suited the strengths of the RB22, but he believes the biggest improvement goes beyond additional downforce.
The car has become more balanced, more predictable and easier to take to its limit.
“The most important thing that has changed with our car is that it has become much more predictable and balanced,” Max Verstappen explained. “At the beginning of the year, many times I didn’t know what was going to happen going into a corner, or the car had strange and unexpected behaviour.”
“That meant it was never really possible to push it to the limit, because you didn’t know where that limit was, or suddenly the limit would move.”
“Over the last few race weekends, however, the situation has improved a lot. Now we know much better where the limit of the car is and the balance is much more predictable.”
A wider operating window gives Red Bull more setup options
The improvement matters in several ways. A car that communicates more clearly allows the driver to approach the limit with greater confidence, while a machine that is easier to balance also gives engineers more setup options.
That effectively widens the RB22’s operating window. It does not mean Red Bull will automatically be competitive at every circuit, and Sepang was also influenced by its asphalt characteristics and the way the tyres were used, but greater flexibility should allow the team to produce more consistent performances.
That could prove especially valuable at Marina Bay, where setup compromises around slow-corner performance, kerb riding and traction are crucial. The characteristics of the circuit are detailed further in the Marina Bay circuit analysis.
Isack Hadjar immediately noticed the difference at Baku
Isack Hadjar has also confirmed how much easier the RB22 has become to understand. After missing three events, he returned to the car in Baku and immediately felt the difference compared with his previous experience in Budapest.
“When I got out of the car in Budapest, I was very frustrated with how it had behaved throughout the weekend. I remember it well,” Isack Hadjar said.
“Then, two months later, I got back behind the wheel in Baku and suddenly everything seemed more in order, more under control. Every time we make a setup change now, it seems to make sense: we understand whether we are going in the right direction or the wrong one. It feels like we understand the car better.”
That greater understanding is the foundation of Red Bull’s optimism for Singapore. After Max Verstappen’s first victory of 2026 and a sustained run of podium finishes, the RB22 is no longer simply producing isolated strong weekends. It is becoming a more predictable platform, and that gives Red Bull a realistic opportunity to challenge at a circuit that has repeatedly exposed its weaknesses in the past.
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