(Motorsports news) Last weekend, a higher ride height for the rough Marina Bay street circuit pushed the Red Bull’s RB19 out of its comfort zone. Max Verstappen improved from 11th to fifth, while Sergio Perez finished eighth. This opened the door for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to lead Lando Norris to a masterfully controlled victory. In doing so, he broke Red Bull’s season-long winning streak.
The grid feels this was just a glitch for Red Bull and that returning to a traditional circuit at Suzuka this weekend will allow the RB19 to recover its sweet spot. “They have been so strong and that’s why they’ve won so many races this year,” said Mercedes racing manager Toto Wolff, who believes the change in winner is a “breath of fresh air” for F1. We must not lose sight of this simply because Singapore is an outlier.
“I have no doubt they will be competitive on more traditional race tracks.” But having a different winner and podium without them is a breath of fresh air, so we have to appreciate the tiny positives in a year of Red Bull supremacy.” Third-placed Lewis Hamilton thought it was “great” to see teams like Ferrari and McLaren leading the podium celebrations.
Meanwhile, Sainz stated that his team took advantage of a rare opportunity in Singapore, but that Red Bull would return to winning ways. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they continue to win the last few races of the season,” he remarked.
“I think Singapore gave us the opportunity, and we just took advantage of it.” But I still believe the Red Bulls will be competitive for the rest of the season and will be extremely difficult to beat. I just think it’d be great for F1 if Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston [Martin] were two, three-tenths faster every race, to challenge them in race pace.”
“However, if Red Bull has nailed the car this year and is doing such an amazing job, they deserve to win everything they’re winning.” Norris expressed similar sentiments, but added that, at least in Singapore, he had never seen a car as awful as the RB19 in qualifying. “I’ve dreamed a little bit, but I’m sure [Red Bull] will be back on track next weekend,” he remarked.
“I’m not sure what Red Bull were struggling with this weekend, but when I saw Verstappen’s onboard, I laughed because I’ve never seen a car that bad before.” Max chuckled about it as well. “So, we’ll see what happens next weekend.” I believe they will return to the top.”
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