Champion-in-waiting: Max Verstappen
(Picture: Getty Images,)Max Verstappen has set his sights on wrapping up the world title at next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix after a weekend to forget in Singapore.
A rare mishap from Red Bull, leading to him being called in to the pits when on a flying lap in qualifying, left him starting yesterday’s race in eighth place. And a further mistake at the start saw him drop down the field.
He eventually climbed his way back up to seventh as teammate Sergio Perez won to deny him the chance to wrap up the title. But victory and the fastest lap at Suzuka - immaterial of the results from Perez and Charles Leclerc - would give Verstappen a second successive title on Sunday.
“It’s now where we want to be,” said a disgruntled Verstappen, who had stormed out of the circuit and skipped the team’s debrief following qualifying. “You put yourself in a spot like that and it can either work brilliantly and you can drive back to the front or it’s very frustrating like we had.
“This has just been a really terrible weekend which started with the big mess-up in qualifying. We have five races left and we have a big lead but I want to have a good weekend every single time.”
At a circuit suited to the Red Bull, Verstappen will be the overwhelming favourite to win Sunday’s race and clinch the fastest lap and, with it, the world title.
But a potentially tough week lies ahead as rumours circulate that Red Bull were one of two teams to have exceeded the £114million cost cap for last season. The results will be made official by the FIA on Wednesday but the matter overshadowed the Singapore Grand Prix weekend and looks likely to stretch onto Japan this week.
Red Bull have denied any wrongdoing and Verstappen echoed the sentiments of team boss Christian Horner. Following yesterday’s race, the Dutchman said: “Other teams talk about it while they have no information so I find that a bit silly. Just keep your mouths shut.”
Should Red Bull be found guilty of a cost cap breach last season they potentially could be docked points in the constructors’ and drivers’ championships or else face a sizeable fine.
But Horner denied any miscalculations and threatened a defamation suit. “We will consider all our options and it’s totally unacceptable to make a completely unfounded allegation,” he said.
