Verstappen Bluntly States: 'I Knew the Car Was F*cked'
F1 News
For the first-time in 33 race weekends, Sergio Perez outqualified his teammate Max Verstappen in Baku. During the Grand Prix, Perez looked set to finish ahead of the Dutchman too, and potentially on the podium, until he crashed with Carlos Sainz. In Singapore, Verstappen addressed why he was slower than his Red Bull teammate across the weekend.
Why was Verstappen slower than Perez in Baku?
In Thursday's press conference, Verstappen responded to the question about the difference between the two teammates, given he is the top driver in the team. "I don't know? A different set up," the Dutchman began. "So as soon as I went into qualifying, I knew the car was f*cked. I tried to optimize the car all the time and this time it didn't work out. So I knew that I was stuck with it and then, you tried to optimize it. Of course, my run one and then Q3 that would have been enough for P3 in qualifying hurt me and you start in the back of the top group."
"The balance was of course not there in the race. Then you get stuck behind two cars in the middle of the race so you kill your tyres. Everything just went wrong from qualifying. The rules of course, don't allow you to, to change anything on the car you're stuck with it and that's what happened," he concluded.
After Verstappen's response, the three-time world champion was warned by host Tom Clarkson over his swearing: "Let's watch our language from this point forward." Verstappen has previously been warned and criticised for his language, and FIA President Ben Sulayem has also asked broadcasters to share less swearing from drivers' on-board radios too.