After a disappointing race weekend in Bahrain, Max Verstappen is looking ahead to the Saudi Arabian GP. This coming weekend, Formula 1 will conclude its first triple header of the season with this fifth round. Verstappen, who only crossed the finish line in sixth place in Sakhir, is looking forward to the ultra-fast Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which may offer opportunities for the struggling Red Bull team.
With Verstappen in P6 and Yuki Tsunoda in P9, Red Bull’s top advisor Helmut Marko already declared a state of emergency in Bahrain. Despite the fact that the team finally scored points with two cars, the entire team leadership came together for an emergency meeting. Not only did the RB21 underperform in Bahrain, but the team also made many mistakes. Verstappen regretted two failed pit stops – however, the Dutchman remains confident ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP.
‘Should be better’
“Bahrain was a pretty tough weekend for us and didn’t really go as we wanted,” Verstappen stated in an official press release. “We were hampered by a number of problems and we still have a lot of work to do on the car to get where we need to be.” Despite these challenges, Verstappen is looking forward to Saudi Arabia. “We did well in Jeddah last year,” he explained. “It’s a semi-street circuit with very high speeds, so that makes it fun to drive.”
Regarding the tyre degradation that plagued Red Bull – and many other teams – in Bahrain, Verstappen is again positive. “Normally there is less tyre wear on this circuit, so it should be a better race for us,” he concluded hopefully. “We will have to give it our all one more time before this triple header comes to an end. Hopefully we can get some more pace out of the car and perform again like we did in Japan.”
