Formula 1 Singapore GP
Verstappen "absolutely fine" his F1 win streak is over after Singapore GP
Max Verstappen says he’s “absolutely fine” after his record streak of 10 consecutive grand prix victories came to an end at Formula 1's Singapore GP.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Sep 19, 2023, 8:58 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Red Bull driver knew that Sunday would be a struggle after he qualified only 11th on the grid, insisting afterwards that he could "forget" challenging for victory.
In the race, he could only climb to fifth after a strategy gamble that saw him start on the hard tyres failed to pay off, and a safety car emerged at just the wrong time.
"I knew that this day would come so for me it is absolutely fine," he said after the flag.
He added: "Everything needs to be perfect. Everyone is always saying, 'Ah look how dominant they are and look how easy it is'.
"But it is never easy, and a lot of details that we need to get right and this weekend clearly we didn't get a few things right and then you are on the back foot."
Red Bull had won 14 races in a row prior to Singapore, plus the final event of the 2022 season, breaking the record for most consecutive wins by a team that had been held by McLaren since 1988.
However, team principal Christian Horner insisted that he had no regrets about the streak ending, and with it the possibility of winning every race in the 2023 season.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
"We never expected it," he said when asked about missing a clean sweep of the season.
"I mean, there's still eight races to go! You guys have been asking me since pretty much Jeddah, and to have got through 15 races is beyond our wildest imagination.
"For Max to have won 10 in a row is insanity. Last time a driver did that was Sebastian [Vettel] in one of our cars.
"Again, so incredibly proud to have the first and the second most winningest drivers in F1. While statistics apparently don't matter, they are ones that as a team we are incredibly proud of.
"And to have got this far, to have broken the record [held by McLaren] since 1988, shows just how hard it is to achieve the kind of supremacy that we've achieved this year. And that's testimony to everybody doing and playing their part."
Read Also:
- Mercedes would repeat Singapore F1 strategy gamble "every day of the week"
- Ferrari: Sainz deserves all credit for Norris DRS tactic in F1 Singapore GP
- Aston Martin: Stroll crash shows F1 commitment, not recklessness
Horner made it clear that winning so consistently is not as easy as it looks.
"To win 15 in a row is insanity when you consider the variance of circuits that we've come across, the conditions, etcetera," he said.
"It is the first time since I think 2018 that we weren't in Q3 yesterday, so it's been a hell of a run for the team that we always knew was going to come to a stop at some point.
"And it's been an incredible year, one that we're all very proud of. And hopefully we can be back up at the sharp end next weekend."
Additional reporting by Jonathan Noble
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Mercedes would repeat Singapore F1 strategy gamble "every day of the week"
Next article Vowles: Perez "lunge" on Albon could prove costly for Williams F1 team
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Max Verstappen
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
20 min
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
F1 Brazilian GP: Sunday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
15 h
F1 Brazilian GP: Sunday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
More from
Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen watched Premier League football during Brazilian GP qualifying delay: "12 hours I'll never get back"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
16 h
Max Verstappen watched Premier League football during Brazilian GP qualifying delay: "12 hours I'll never get back"
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen hit with F1 grid penalties for Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
22 h
Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen hit with F1 grid penalties for Brazilian GP
Latest news
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
20 min
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
Kyle Busch Remembered: Winning two NASCAR Cup championships at Homestead
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Kyle Busch Remembered: Winning two NASCAR Cup championships at Homestead
McLaren’s 2027-spec front wing is making its F1 car more predictable
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
McLaren’s 2027-spec front wing is making its F1 car more predictable
The wet-weather challenges thrown up by Brazilian GP qualifying
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
The wet-weather challenges thrown up by Brazilian GP qualifying
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe