In Bahrain, Red Bull Racing managed to pull off a 1-2 by force majeure, but Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez know that the Jeddah Street Circuit is a completely different track, and the proportions can therefore be different. The Dutchman expects to have a strong car again on what he considers a cool circuit, while his teammate mainly focuses on victory and beating the Dutchman.
In a press release prior to the Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, Verstappen thinks he will not be able to take victory again by force majeure. “After a great start in Bahrain, I don’t expect it to be an easy task in Jeddah. It’s a completely different circuit and the car has to be fast. Still, I think that with the many fast corners we can have a strong car for this circuit’, he expects to be able to compete again for the prizes.
Compared to last year, when the now two-time world champion fought an exciting duel with Charles Leclerc and came out on top, a number of changes have been made to the circuit. However, it did not really affect the layout. “The changes to the track have been done mainly for visibility, so hopefully it’s gotten a bit better for us drivers because it was definitely dangerous in some places. It’s a really cool street circuit, with a lot of grip, so I always like to race there.’
My turn to win
Pérez also hopes to be able to do good business in Jeddah, and especially hopes to be ahead of his teammate now, unlike last year and last week in Bahrain, among others. “It is important to maintain Bahrain’s momentum. There is still room for improvement in an effort to make the car faster. We collected a lot of data in the first race and a lot of hard work went on behind the scenes. It’s going to be interesting to see how everyone performs next weekend. It is a completely different job than in Bahrain. I look forward to returning to the track where I took pole in 2022. The timing of the safety car was quite unfortunate when I was leading. Hopefully it’s my turn to win now.’
