Why Verstappen is a top favourite to win the Saudi Arabia GP

12:47, 17 Apr
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After a dramatic weekend with Red Bull Racing, it's very much possible for Max Verstappen to do significantly better in Saudi Arabia. The signs are, at least on paper, positive for the Dutchman.
Max Verstappen was very frustrated last weekend in Bahrain. In the RB21 of Red Bull, there was hardly any pace, the tyres were shredded by the rough asphalt and then he suffered from horrendous mistakes at the pit stops on two occasions. The word ‘crisis’ was again mentioned within and around the Austrian team, as it was after the Chinese Grand Prix earlier this season.
Two weeks later, Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prixcompletely unexpected. The four-time world champion did was not carried away by this result - unlike some people in the leadership of the racing team? Verstappen continued to insist on improvements and saw in the victory in Suzuka primarily be the exception rather than the norm. This indeed turned out to be the case, achieving hard-fought sixth place in Bahrain.

Red Bull's weaknesses exposed

At a more traditional circuit like in Bahrain, all the weaknesses of the RB21 came were significantly more visible: the lack of a correct balance in the car, the tyre management, and its weaknesses in slow corners. The good news for Verstappen: the fast street circuit in Jeddah, where the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, is nothing like a traditional circuit. In fact, it somewhat resembles Suzuka, and everyone knows how much performance he managed to extract from his Red Bull there.
On the circuit through the streets of Jeddah, there are many fast corners, just like in Japan, and Verstappen can handle those well. The top speed also plays an important role at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. With the Honda engine, Verstappen doesn't have to worry about that.
Moreover, tyre wear is likely limited, although that's the tricky part for Verstappen and Red Bull. Pirelli has indeed brought the C3, C4, and C5 tyres. In Japan, Verstappen could count on the three hardest tyre compounds from the Italian manufacturer.
With the stop and go circuit in Miami and the old-fashioned circuit in Imola on the calendar after the race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is the prime opportunity for Verstappen to achieve a top result. Even a win seems possible, with McLaren again appearing as his main rivals.