Three-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen took stock of the development of the season for his Red Bull team. The Dutchman admitted that he was “too harsh“ with his criticism of the team at the beginning of the year, when the “bulls“ were seriously lagging behind the front and struggling with dramatic problems in the balance of their RB22 car.
The first months of the campaign were a real test for the Milton Keynes-based team. The turnaround, however, came after a major package of improvements was implemented over the weekend in Baku, which fundamentally changed the car's handling.
The results of the engineering progress were not long in coming. In Malaysia, Verstappen took his first pole position and his first win of the year. His form continued to be impeccable in Singapore, where the Dutch driver completely dominated, winning qualifying, the sprint and the main race.
With this success, Verstappen continues to improve his records, having already won races at 27 different tracks in his career.
This comparison with the dramatic turnaround last season (which occurred after the weekend in Monza), the Dutchman explained to the publication De Telegraaf that the situation was completely different this time:
„The story is completely different. Last season, everything was about the settings. For a long time we thought the car couldn't run with a certain configuration, and then it turned out that it could. That was a valuable experience. This year the situation was different — at the beginning we could try all sorts of settings, but that wouldn't fix the balance.“
Verstappen also revealed what lies behind his frankness and demandingness towards the engineers:
„The latest innovations have helped enormously. I can now find my rhythm more easily and I can drive at the limit. Sometimes I was harsh, but above all I was clear and honest. The team knows that it's nothing personal. I'm a perfectionist and I always want things to be done better, especially when I know that it's completely achievable.“