Red Bull arrived at Suzuka with only one objective, to make up for the terrible and anomalous weekend of Singapore, where nothing worked with the RB19. Max Verstappen couldn't get more than fifth place last weekend, missing not only the victory but also the podium. A real disaster for a team that aimed to break every possible record in a season dominated by the first weekend. There are different theses on the Red Bull debacle, among those who attribute it to the new one technical directive on flexible wings, and those who label it as a rare event, attributable exclusively to the characteristics of the Marina Bay route. The track will tell us the truth. And free practice has already given us initial feedback on the forces at play this weekend. Let's see what Verstappen thinks at the end of this first day of free practice in Suzuka.
Verstappen keeps an eye on his opponents
In Singapore, Red Bull was in total confusion. Both drivers have been complaining about the instability of the RB19 since Friday. Not even the different adjustments brought significant improvements. The victory, for once, was played between more than one team, even if one of them all had an extra boost in qualifying that allowed it to place on Pole, namely the Ferrari. The other two contenders, Mercedes and McLaren remained glued to Sainz's car, although they were unable to overtake him. In Suzuka, however, the Maranello team will have to deal with a decidedly friendlier track, with fast long-distance corners and changes of direction that instead aim to elevate the RB19.
We had a first confirmation on Friday testing in Suzuka. In both sessions Red Bull took the lead with Max Verstappen, while Perez paid more than half a second to his teammate. Ferrari with Leclerc positioned further back, 3 tenths away from Max's attack time who hopes to no longer have to argue with his RB19. Although Red Bull gave positive signals in terms of race pace and flying lap, the fact of having teams like McLaren and Ferrari hot on their heels makes Max a little less confident than usual, having also just had a terrible weekend in Singapore.
Verstappen's statements at Suzuka
“Today we felt good from the first lap – says Max Verstappen after free practice at Suzuka. It was a very positive day both in the qualifying and race simulations, there is a lot of degradation on this track and therefore it will be difficult for the tires in the race, but so far I think we have started well this weekend. There's a bit of a gap between me and the riders behind me, but McLaren and Ferrari are quite close. In the end we just have to focus on ourselves and our performance and if we succeed we can fight for pole."
Source statements: FormulaPassion
