Verstappen defends Red Bull criticisms

Max Verstappen has suggested his criticism of Red Bull following Qualifying for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix is how the team improves.

Verstappen will start today’s race eighth after aborting a flying lap late in Qualifying 3 before running out of fuel on his subsequent attempt.

This weekend marks the Dutchman’s first opportunity to wrap up the 2022 championship, a task made all that more difficult by the fact his nearest rival, Charles Leclerc, starts from pole.

Overtaking is not expected to be easy, and while Verstappen will have a pace advantage on those immediately around him, his race has been compromised to an extent before it’s even started.

The 2021 world champion was left questioning how Red Bull could make such a fundamental mistake in a critical Qualifying session when speaking with the media shortly afterwards.

“I like the critical approach,” the championship leader responded when it was pointed out that Red Bull had been near perfect all season.

“When I f*** up, they can also tell me that I made a mistake.

“I think it should be the other way around as well because that’s how we keep each other heading in the right direction.

“We want to be perfect. We don’t want to be good, we want to be perfect.”

Asked whether he’d voiced his frustrations to the team, he suggested his expression as he climbed from the car was sufficient.

“I think they know when they saw my face, and what I said on the radio,” he ventured.

Verstappen’s initial flying lap in the latter part of Qualifying 3 was called off as he closed on Pierre Gasly in the final third of the lap.

He crossed the line with enough time to begin another lap, only to run out of fuel on approach to the pit lane. That effort had seen him up on Leclerc’s provisional pole time.

“I had a big moment in the last sector, and I was already like two seconds up, I think, before I even got to these two corners,” he lamented.

“Would definitely [have] been pole,” he concluded.

The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix begins at 20:00 local time (13:00 BST/08:00 ET/23:00 AEDT).