Speaking ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen claims he has no interest in discussions over what is good for the show in F1 as Red Bull’s undefeated run came to an end.
Following Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix which saw Carlos Sainz become the first non Red Bull driver claim a Formula 1 victory in 2023, discussions have once again sparked over whether Red Bull’s dominant run has had a negative impact on the sport.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily bad…”
When asked if he believed Sainz’s victory was a positive for Formula 1, Verstappen adamantly disagreed, making his position on the matter very clear in saying he does not consider what is good for the sport.
“Honestly, I have zero interest in that,” Verstappen said. “For me, it was just we got beaten, in a very clear way. I don’t think about what is good for F1.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily bad what was happening to F1, because we were just better than everyone else. And if people can’t appreciate that, then you’re not a real fan. But yeah, that’s how it goes.
“That’s why I was also super relaxed about it because we didn’t perform. Other people did a better job than us, then of course they deserved to win. They shouldn’t win because people say it’s boring that we are winning.”
“I would have liked to win there…”
Having endured his worst weekend of the season in Singapore, failing to progress to Q3 on Saturday before recovering to P5 on Sunday, Verstappen was pressed for his thoughts on the mark against Red Bull’s otherwise perfect record. The two time champion had a very relaxed outlook, despite admitting he would have liked to win.
“No emotion,” he said. “I mean, we stopped winning for one race. S**t happens. We won 10 in a row before that. Of course, I would have liked to win there as well. But I also know that there is always going to be a day you have that weekend where you’re not winning, or things go wrong.
“And yeah, unfortunately, it was that weekend, but we just move on, and try again.”
“We can win every single race…”
With Red Bull switching focus to their 2024 challenger, questions have been raised as to whether the other teams will be able to close the gap and threaten the top spots for the remainder of the season. Verstappen however, believes Red Bull can still win each of the remaining races even with other teams bringing upgrades.
“The regulations are not really changing that much,” Verstappen said. “Of course, we had our things already set out in terms of upgrades to stuff. But I still think that from now onwards, we can win every single race, even with people bringing upgrades and stuff. It’s normal, when some people had a bit of a tough start to the year they want to learn more, and they keep on developing for a longer period of time.
“I think that’s also what we’ve done in the past. And then maybe here and there they might have that opportunity of winning, but I still think that our car is capable of winning every race.”
“It was more surprising at the start.”
Continuing on he said he was not surprised to see the other teams struggle to close the gap to the front, although he admits it came as a shock at the beginning of the season to be so far ahead of the competition.
“I was more surprised at the start. We all I think at the team expected it to be very close. And it wasn’t in the beginning.
“So then, of course, throughout the year, I think it’s quite a normal thing that people start looking around and start developing their own ideas, and start to get closer. But for me, it was more surprising at the start.”
