Max Verstappen think he might have been better off taking an engine penalty in Singapore after leading Friday practice in Sochi.
The Red Bull driver has a five-place grid penalty for this weekend’s race after Honda fitted a new engine to his car. However Verstappen said the team’s below-par performance in Singapore last week might have made that a better pace to fit the new engine.“It’s always difficult to judge to take a penalty,” he said. “I mean, if I would have thought that Singapore would be that difficult, I might have taken the penalty there.
“It’s just a bit of a question mark at the moment what went wrong there.”
However Verstappen insisted he wasn’t disappointed about having to take the penalty on a weekend where the team appears to be more competitive. “Not at all,” he said. “I think if you are quick you can still pass some people.”
“It’s only five places so it’s not that bad,” he added.
Verstappen was pleased to see the car return to form in Sochi after the disappointment of Singapore.
“It was a bit of a weird weekend in Singapore what went wrong,” he said. “So we came here and the car is working really well especially the last sector has been very good. Even the first one you have a long straight, turn three is flat out so it’s basically also straight and we are still very competitive.
“So it was a positive day. We tried quite a few things with the car and that seems to work.”
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nase
27th September 2019, 15:24
When the realisation hits you like a truck: You can’t just take infinite engine penalties AND be a serious competitor.
Picture me amused.
Philups
27th September 2019, 16:20
@nase
I picture everyone thinking 2 equals infinite stupid, and everyone thinking Max considered himself a serious competitor this season even more….
F1oSaurus (@)
27th September 2019, 16:39
Are you referring to Helmut Marko who, at the end of 2018, claimed that Verstappen would be competing for the WDC in 2019?
nase
27th September 2019, 16:48
Sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you said. Does your comment have a point, or did you exhaust your resources thinking up that thin veil over your adorable insult?
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
27th September 2019, 16:03
The title seems more suggestive than his quotes. It’s basically a case of hindsight being 20/20.
regs (@regs)
27th September 2019, 16:13
And Kvyat engine is broken again. That 3-engine per season tile should go away. So as any other pointless limitations that making trains on the circuit instead of real race.
MacLeod (@macleod)
27th September 2019, 16:30
was only the fuel pump not the engine itself.
regs (@regs)
27th September 2019, 16:14
Rule*
F1oSaurus (@)
27th September 2019, 16:42
Isn’t it a bit early to claim this? Verstappen was fastest in Singapore FP1 and second in FP2. Verstappen was still dreaming of a fight for pole and the win after Friday in Singapore too.
erikje
27th September 2019, 19:06
The difference: they expected to be strong in Singapore and not so strong in Sochi.
So topping the table is remarkable, hence his remark in hindsight.
KaIIe (@kaiie)
27th September 2019, 16:59
If Friday is a true indication of the form this weekend, then surely we might be in for yet another comeback drive from Verstappen.
Jere (@jerejj)
27th September 2019, 19:43
”turn three is flat out so it’s basically also straight” – Not really because the line is quite vital there to avoid going sideways and thus losing time.
erikje
27th September 2019, 21:54
Dam%^&, he did not think about that i guess.
Lets hope he reads this forum.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
28th September 2019, 3:25
Indeed, I would say if there’s a driver who doesn’t make silly or wrong statements it’s verstappen.