Red Bull is sure there will be no repetition of their Hungarian horror show at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix this weekend.
The team heads to the Marina Bay Street Circuit, behind two dominant victories.
Max Verstappen won both Italian and Azerbai Jungrump Awards from pole position, winning by 19 and 14 seconds margins, respectively.
However, this weekend’s Formula 1 race in Singapore presents a completely different challenge.
Unlike Monza and Baku, the Marina Bay Circuit demands the largest downforce. Also, high temperatures and humidity conditions place additional strain on the tires and car performance.
McLaren in particular tends to be better in hotter conditions this season. So Singapore will be a key test of whether Verstappen has really returned to the 2025 F1 title fight.
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies is confident that the struggle in Budapest will not resurface this weekend.
“Regardless of our issues, I think it’s probably fair to say that we removed a bit of performance from the car after Budapest,” he said.
“I’m more confident than that, as I don’t think Singapore will be a repeat of Budapest. Is that enough to fight for victory? Honestly, it’s impossible to say. But it’s not like Budapest.”
Red Bull’s Hungarian Struggle
The weakest weekend of Red Bull season came with hanger rings.
Verstappen finished ninth after Red Bull chose an unfavourable two-stop strategy, leaving him over 72 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
©XPB Image
“You go to Singapore and move the equation a little,” Mekies added.
“You maintain a slow corner, but you go to the biggest downforce. We’ve been struggling in Budapest and even in front of Budapest.
“It’s also a much hotter track and we know how sensitive we are to this aspect, but not just us, but mostly the whole field.”
McLaren dominated the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix from pole position.
Randorris won ahead of Verstappen on the Marina Bay Circuit, controlling the race from the front.
Red Bull has only won one Singapore since 2014 – at Sergio Perez in 2022.