A renewed spat between Red Bull and Mercedes figures primes the stage for the imminent Singapore GP.
Many in the Red Bull opposition camp are optimistic that Max Verstappen’s ten-race triumphant run will conclude on the demanding and sultry street circuit, a location he hasn’t clinched victory on yet.
Verstappen himself feels his car is “not as competitive” on street courses – with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc recently highlighted by Dr Helmut Marko as a potential threat.
Leclerc, though, said on Thursday: “It’s nice to get praise from our opponents – it’s nice to read. But it’s not really true.
“I assume Red Bull will be the benchmark here too,” he added.
While Leclerc’s sentiment seems respectful, the same sentiment isn’t shared by Mercedes’ Toto Wolff, who remarked after Monza that Verstappen’s renewed victory record will be noteworthy mainly for those browsing Wikipedia.
In Singapore, Verstappen observed that he isn’t bothered by such statements, but found it curious how often Wolff mentions Red Bull’s prevailing stronghold.
“He almost sounds like he’s an employee of our team sometimes,” said the 25-year-old. “But luckily not.”
Red Bull’s leader, Christian Horner, however, chuckled at the idea of Wolff being on their roster.
“We haven’t spoken since 2021,” he jested with Corriere della Sera newspaper, “so all is well.”
Similarly, Verstappen hasn’t conversed extensively with his 2021 adversary, Lewis Hamilton, since that period. Yet, Hamilton of Mercedes recently suggested that Max has faced fewer challenges in Formula 1 owing to his less formidable teammates.
“It’s not nice of Hamilton towards the teammates I’ve had,” Verstappen hit back in conversation with Dutch reporters in Singapore.
“But it’s ironic that after that interview of his in Monza, many of my teammates were ahead of him in qualifying. Honestly, I respect the dominance of others including Lewis’ past titles.
“Maybe there is a little jealousy. Maybe it’s nice for Netflix. None of it really matters to me. I sleep wonderfully,” the championship leader added.
“I do my thing here, go home again after the weekend, do my thing there and then don’t have much to do with Formula 1 anymore.”
