Singapore GP: Red Bull's Max Verstappen 'in no rush' to secure Formula 1 title
- Rob Fleming
- 29 September 2022
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has said that he is in 'no rush' to claim a second Formula 1 World Title at Singapore this weekend and will take his time and prepare as per normal.
As things stand, if Verstappen outscores Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by 22 points and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez does not finish on the podium then the Dutchman will win back-to-back titles on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Verstappen has simply dominated the 2022 F1 season, winning 11 of the 16 races out of his 13 podiums gained. With six races remaining in the season, he could still improve on his dominant 116 points lead in the drivers' standings.
When asked about potentially winning the F1 title at Singapore, Verstappen said: "I don't really think about the championship.
"I just want to have a positive weekend on track and take it race by race, there's no rush."
Due to the Covid pandemic, the Singapore race at the Marina Bay street circuit was cancelled since 2019, and Verstappen's best result there was in 2018 when he finished second.
The Marina Bay street circuit happens to be a venue which is known for having a bumpy track and also where there is a high probability of crashes the use of safety cars being part of the weekend's racing.
Verstappen has warned the Red Bull team to be "ready for anything" to happen at Singapore from Friday onwards.
"We haven't been to Singapore for a while so it will be interesting to see how the track has evolved," Verstappen said.
"It's definitely one of the best races of the year and it's a beautiful place to be. It's important to have a good qualifying lap here so we'll be focussing on that.
"During the race, we just have to be ready for anything as there's usually a lot of safety cars.
"In general, it's a challenging circuit, the humidity is tough on the body and it's very difficult to do a perfect lap because of tight turns and how close the walls are," he added.
