Max ahead of Singapore: 'Hopefully more competitive than previous years'
Published on 08 October 2026 by Stefan Meens
Following Max Verstappen’s win of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver reflects on the team’s first win of the 2026 season and the first victory by a Red Bull Ford Powertrain.
“We have the facilities to deliver a very good power unit. Red Bull invested a lot in that. I was not too stressed about that, but we are very happy how we started. We are very proud. At the same time, we keep working hard, because there are a lot of area’s we want to improve. That’s the mentality we have within the team.”
Following the win, Max flew straight to Singapore where this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix will take place. Despite the back-to-back races, the Dutchman was able to make the most of the days in between events: “I have spent time with my dad. We haven’t had a lot of time together lately, just because of both our schedules and lives. So, it was nice to spend time with him and relax. I just did a race, so you want to recover a bit from it. There are still a lot of races left, so it’s important to also take time to switch of a bit.”
The Marina Bay circuit always poses a unique challenge in the humid streets of Singapore. “In the last few years, the low-speed corners and curb stones and bumps are where we lost most time. The current car is probably more competitive at low speed, but we still struggle on curbs and bumps. It is always complicated on a street circuit. For a lot of different reasons, we have not been able to win here yet. I hope we can be more competitive compared to the last few years here.”
An additional challenge will be this weekend’s sprint format with the only practice session taking place during the day. Max: “During the day you have a bit less grip and it is a bit harder on the tyres. The most important is to find a good balance with the car straight away. That will help a lot for the rest of your weekend. A sprint weekend is always hectic, to make the right choices. We also know that it is very hard to pass on this track, so the qualifying is important.”
