Max Verstappen: “Qualifying is the key” at 'tricky' Singapore

Max Verstappen says that “qualifying is the key” at the Marina Bay Street Circuit ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix due to it being “tricky” to overtake under the lights.

Verstappen finished second on the podium last year behind Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton having been sandwiched by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikonnen in 2017 and looks forward to returning to the “diverse” track.
 
“It’s a great track and the city looks amazing at night,” Verstappen said.

“I enjoy driving under the floodlights as it gives more character to the track and I really like this kind of weekend as it’s so different to a normal race.

“The track is very demanding – it’s hot, it’s physical and you sweat a lot, but yes, it’s one of my favourites.

“You have a lot of corners that are a mix of high and low speed, plus some medium speed corners that have little run-off, so it’s a very diverse circuit and I’m looking forward to going back there.”

Red Bull have performed well at Singapore over the years with the bigger downforce requirements of the circuit suiting their cars.

The Dutchman is hoping to maximise his points opportunity after starting at the back in Monza.
 
“It’s a race where we tend to do better than say, Monza and Spa and hopefully we can have another good weekend,” the Dutchman added.

“Overtaking is very tricky, so qualifying is the key; you have to nail it!

“I’m looking forward to having a more normal race weekend and hopefully not starting out of position again, which always makes things more difficult.

“We’re aiming for maximum points and I’m really looking forward to it.”