Three out of four. Max Verstappen's third victory of the season in four races also arrived at Suzuka, with only Melbourne sharing a streak of successes that had already begun last championship. On a track like the Japanese one, it was expected that the Red Bull could go fast, given that it adapts well to the characteristics of the RB20 considering the fast corners and long straights that showcase the stability and reactivity of the car.
It is no coincidence that this year too, exactly as we had already seen last season, Red Bull dominated, but behind them the opponent has changed: no longer McLaren, also thanks to strategic errors, but Ferrari , which also confirmed its role as the second force in the Land of the Rising Sun.
However, this year the weekend was not as “clean” as that of 2023, partly due to how the rain-conditioned weekend unfolded, partly due to the sensations behind the wheel, with a feeling that is not always perfect on a track where being comfortable in the car counts. Not having had the opportunity to lap in FP2, the long runs were postponed to the last free practice session and the lap times set by Red Bull were anything but fantastic.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
On the other hand, it is also true that the Milton Keynes team had hidden part of the potential pace, not only by running with more fuel, but also by lifting the foot in critical points of the track, thus managing the tires with a wide margin. Nonetheless, Max wasn't totally satisfied with the feeling in the car, in particular the understeer he felt, which is why some last-second changes made before qualifying were fundamental.
“Until qualifying I wasn't completely satisfied with the balance. Then we made some changes that helped today and allowed us to keep the situation under control”, said the Hasselt driver in the press conference, before underlining how even in the race it took a few laps to better understand how to exploit the car.
“I think it was a fantastic victory. I think the most critical part was obviously the start, to stay in front. After that, the car got better and better throughout the race. I don't know if it had to do with the finish of the clouds. But yes, very well. Everything went perfectly, the pitstops went well, I think the strategy worked well, so it couldn't have gone better than this.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“I think that in the first stint it took a few laps before finding a good rhythm, but I think it's a discussion that applies to everyone, because we didn't have much time in free practice to do long runs.”
“For the second stint we made some small changes and the car came to life, I felt more comfortable. I pushed when I needed to and managed the tires when I had to. Excellent sensations both with the medium and hard tires, perhaps with the hard tires it could have gone a little better, but overall I think it went very well,” said the Red Bull rider.
What also complicated everything were the temperatures, significantly higher than in recent days, especially as regards the asphalt, which reached peaks of around 40°C: “In general, obviously, everything is a little more difficult when it's warmer. So I think the first few laps are really useful to try to adapt. I think overall it went well for us. But yeah, it makes everything a little more difficult.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Suzuka is one of the tracks that best suits the characteristics of the RB20, with those long bends that enhance the strengths of the car from Milton Keynes. Although the ranking does not represent a problem, Verstappen clearly wants to capitalize on this phase of the season and the opportunities that the calendar offers, given that he is aware that there will be some tracks on which his rivals will be closer, as happened for example in Melbourne.
“We have to deal with the situation race by race. I know that there will be tracks that might not be so favorable for us, so on those tracks where we know we can be fast, we will have to take advantage of that and score maximum points as a team, and that's what we will continue to do trying to do.”
“If we consider what has happened in the past, road circuits are in general a little more difficult for us. I think our car has improved a bit in the low speed sections, but of course on street circuits it's not just about low speed handling, but also how you deal with curbs and bumps. In general, how you manage to drive the car matters a lot. At the moment these aspects are still a bit unknown in relation to our improvements, we will have to see.”
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