Max Verstappen will make his 250th Formula One start at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, chasing a first win at Marina Bay after giving Red Bull its first victory as a power-unit manufacturer in Sepang.
Singapore is the last leg of the Asian triple-header and the final Sprint weekend of the season.
“It was an incredible feeling to win in Malaysia and a hugely proud moment for the Team, being our first win as a power unit manufacturer,” said Verstappen. “I think the win was quite track specific so we will need to see how we go heading into this week. Singapore is a race that I haven’t won before, so it does feel like unfinished business at this track.”
The four-time world champion, who made his debut for Toro Rosso at the 2015 Australian Grand Prix, has 72 wins, 135 podiums and 3632.5 points. His Sepang victory was his 72nd for Red Bull, equalling Michael Schumacher’s tally with Ferrari and leaving him 12 short of Lewis Hamilton’s record of 84 wins with Mercedes. He won from pole and set the fastest lap, the 15th hat-trick of his career.
Team-mate Isack Hadjar, who qualified third in Sepang, said: “Malaysia didn’t quite work out for me as I’d hoped, but it was a great result for the Team. Singapore is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar, and night races have a special vibe too. If we can take the performance from Baku and the learnings from Malaysia, we’re in for a positive weekend.”
Ben Hodgkinson, Technical Director of Red Bull Ford Powertrains, said the first win had come “just sixteen races into our journey”, but warned that Singapore’s heat, humidity and street-circuit demands would put “significant pressure on both the car and the power unit”.
Audi target the points
Audi missed out on points on the final lap in both Baku and Sepang. “The important thing now is to keep pushing and find that little extra in Singapore to get ourselves back into the points,” said Racing Director Allan McNish. “With this being a Sprint event, it’ll be crucial to get things right from the very beginning.”
Nico Hulkenberg said: “I’ve always liked Sprint weekends because they get straight to the point. We’ve had a few encouraging moments over the last couple of races, but we also know there’s still work to do.”
Gabriel Bortoleto added: “We’ve been consistently around the fight for points recently, so we’ll try to put everything together and give ourselves another chance in Saturday’s Sprint and again in the race on Sunday.”
