Max Verstappen hailed a remarkable turnaround for Red Bull after finishing second in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.
The Singapore GP was the one race Red Bull failed to win in 2023.
Red Bull was concerned returning to Singapore of a repeat performance and those fears appeared justified on Friday, as the RB20 looked ragged, lacking grip.
But the team turned the situation around overnight, and the RB20 became more compliant in the hands of Verstappen as he qualified on the front row, dispelling any suggestion the team had lost its edge.
Despite the dominance of Lando Norris in the Grand Prix, Verstappen was positive after finishing second, 20 seconds behind his McLaren rival.
“Compared to the start of the weekend, we improved quite nicely,” Verstappen said.
“I think that’s been great for us as a team on a track that we know we’re not performing normally the best. So I’m happy with second today.”
It was a ‘lonely’ Singapore GP for Max Verstappen
Any hope Verstappen had of challenging Norris for victory however was quickly dashed at lights out.
Norris took the holeshot and Verstappen instead had to fend off the advances of Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1.
From there Norris opened up an unassailable lead and Verstappen was left in no man’s land.
With Mercedes falling back as the race wore on and Oscar Piastri charging through in the second phase of the race, Verstappen had little company for the 62-lap Singapore GP.
“The last few laps, I think it was feeling a little bit better,” Verstappen explained. “But overall, [it was] quite a lonely race for me.”
Although unable to catch Norris, Verstappen successfully saw off a late challenge from the second McLaren of Piastri.
With 12 laps remaining, Verstappen had a comfortable 17-second lead over the McLaren. This increased to 21 seconds by the chequered flag.
By taking second place, Verstappen minimised the points lost to his rival.
The gap between Verstappen and Norris is now 52 points.
If this result is replicated across the remaining races and sprint events, Verstappen and Norris’ title battle will be going into the final round at Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, McLaren’s advantage in the Constructors’ standings over Red Bull has grown to 41 points.
READ MORE: Red Bull: McLaren pace in F1 Singapore GP was ‘taking the piss’
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