Runaway Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen will be determined to roar back at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix after his record streak of 10 straight wins ended in Singapore.
The Dutchman finished fifth under the Marina Bay lights after starting 11th on the grid, meaning he will not be able to clinch his third straight world title at Suzuka.
But Verstappen, who has won 12 of the 15 races so far this season, can move to the cusp of retaining his crown while his Red Bull team can seal the constructors’ championship.
The 25-year-old told reporters after struggling with Singapore’s street circuit, where overtaking is all but impossible, that “this track is so different to Suzuka and it doesn’t relate”.
“We have learned a bit from today and have a few ideas with what we got wrong,” he said after Carlos Sainz triumphed for Ferrari to ruin Red Bull’s perfect record this season.
“I cannot go into details but I feel good about Suzuka.” Verstappen certainly enjoyed his last visit to Japan, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to clinch last season’s championship there.
The Dutchman won a chaotic race shortened by rain and then saw nearest rival Leclerc relegated to third by a five-second penalty, handing Verstappen the title.
Verstappen was only informed he had clinched the championship midway through the post-race TV interview, and even the driver himself was not sure if he had secured the title.
With Verstappen a whopping 151 points clear of Red Bull teammate and nearest challenger Sergio Perez in the current campaign, he could be crowned champion again as early as next month’s Qatar Grand Prix.
This year’s race in Japan has been shifted two weeks earlier in the Formula One calendar and the forecast is for dry conditions.—AFP
