Red Bull had a monster weekend as their remarkable winning streak came to an end at the Singapore Grand Prix, and Verstappen will be hoping to return to the top at Suzuka.
Lewis Hamilton thinks Red Bull should win the Japanese Grand Prix at the canter distance, but George Russell is not so sure.
Max Verstappen saw his 10-match winning streak come to an abrupt end last weekend. Red Bull simply wasn’t up to its usual pace throughout the Singapore Grand Prix weekend and as a result the Dutchman could only manage fifth in the race, after starting 11th. .
Hamilton, however, was under no illusions about the situation. The seven-time world champion is confident that Red Bull will most likely return to its best form at Suzuka.
“I think if they don’t lead by 30 seconds like they used to then something is going on… but no, they’ve had a tough weekend but their car here is definitely going to be amazing,” he said.
They have been excellent all year with pace at almost every track and it will be great to see the car in general.
“Normally when we come here it’s amazing to see the laps they do because the whole team and the riders have done an incredible job with the package they have. Hopefully we can getting closer and I hope they are not as close as a football team.” 30 second interval.”
However, his Mercedes teammate is not ready to retire from competition so soon. Russell believes the Silver Arrows, Ferrari and perhaps even Lando Norris can be in the hunt for victory again as he is unsure how Red Bull will react to their defeat. He say:
“I think we definitely have a good chance on Sunday. I think Ferrari will qualify quickly again. Lando is likely to be one of the favorites this weekend with a fast performance his altitude in the McLaren. But the full question is about Red Bull.
“Honestly, what [McLaren] has done this year is pretty impressive, from where they started to where they are now.” So I definitely expect them to be strong but of course, I hope to come out on top.”
Norris is more cautious about his own chances, but said:
“I want to believe [McLaren can win]. I think everything did what it was supposed to do and I think we definitely took a few steps forward. I don’t think it’s safe to say we’re fast.” like Red Bull – I think Red Bull will probably prevail this weekend.”