Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing with Laurent Mekies (FRA) Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO - Photo: Race Pictures

Verstappen says Red Bull need "more pace" to fight McLaren in Singapore

18:40, 03 Oct

Updated: 19:06, 03 Oct

0 Comments

byShayni Solanki

Max Verstappen claims that the Red Bull needs "more pace" in order to fight the McLarens during qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The four-time world champion was the third fastest driver in a chaotic second practice session that saw Charles Leclerc collide with Lando Norris in the Marina Bay pitlane.

Verstappen almost secured the fastest time of the session in the final few moments, but it was the current championship leader, Oscar Piastri, who came out on top.

Max Verstappen in the paddock at the Singapore GP - Photo: Race Pictures

"We definitely need a bit more pace to fight up at the front tomorrow."

- Max Verstappen

Verstappen said: "It was not too bad, I think FP1 started quite nicely. We're just getting up to speed with things, but the car was not too bad.

"A bit like the last two weekends, where there were no major problems and then in FP2, we tried a few things, and some were good.

"So we just need to try and optimise that a bit more. But overall, I'm in general quite satisfied, but definitely need a bit more pace to fight up at the front tomorrow.

"I mean, that's definitely very positive. There are still a few things that we want to do better, but it's not like we need to throw around the setup completely, so that is a good thing."

Verstappen: 'tiny details' need to be better

In spite of the FIA's weather warning, Verstappen is keen on fine-tuning the details on the RB21 ahead of the qualifying session tomorrow.

"We'll see tomorrow," he continued. "Is it gonna be good enough to fight up front? I don't know."

"I always find FP2 is a bit difficult to say, you know, with people running engine modes, you speed-wise, I guess we'll see in qualifying.

"Tiny details, front grip, rear grip, keeping the tyres alive throughout the lap, you know, around here the tyres overheat a lot.

"So all those things just need to be a little bit better, and then hopefully that will be a bit more in the window, and then you can push also a bit harder."

It is set to be one of the hottest and wettest races of the weekend, declared by the FIA, and the challenges of a Singaporean race in the afternoon will be put to the test.

GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update from Singapore

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.