Max Verstappen horror show could see him start LAST at Singapore GP

max verstappen in Singapore — Photo: © LAT Images

Singapore Grand Prix

Verstappen horror show could see him start LAST at Singapore GP

It hasn't been the best of weekends for Formula 1's dominant force

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 16 September 2023 16:57 Updated: 22:03

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World championship leader Max Verstappen could start last in tomorrow's Singapore Grand Prix, after being eliminated in Q2.

The two-time world champion is looking to extend his Formula 1 record 10 consecutive race victories at a track that he has never won at before, but qualifying certainly didn't go as planned.

After both he and team-mate Sergio Perez were eliminated in Q2 making it the first time Red Bull haven't had any cars in Q3 since the 2018 Russian GP, things may yet get worse.

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Verstappen has been cleared of impeding Logan Sargeant in the final sector and, although being reprimanded for impeding Yuki Tsunoda and impeding a number of cars in the pit lane, he won't be handed a grid penalty.

Despite this, Red Bull may choose to use this as an opportunity to change lots of parts of Verstappen's car and start further down the grid in order to be in a better position as the season goes on, meaning he could still line up on the grid in last position, or start from the pit lane.

All of his alleged offences were investigated at the end of qualifying but there will be no grid drop for the Dutchman.

“I’ll speak to the stewards," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 after qualifying.

"Honestly at this point it was just so messy that it doesn’t matter if we start P11, P15 or last. At this point, it’s more important that we just understand why it was so bad. That’s for me, way more important than trying to score a couple of points in this weekend."

Horror show for Red Bull

Verstappen has now won 10 races in a row, but has looked off the pace this weekend

At a race where Red Bull can claim their second consecutive constructors' championship with a one-two finish and a poor Mercedes performance, they have appeared off the pace all weekend with both Verstappen and Perez complaining about the car throughout Friday and Saturday.

Best case scenario is that the two of them will start 11th and 13th and look to cruise through the field ahead of them.

However, with plenty of other cars also under investigation for various different infringements, it's going to take a while to figure out the final grid order ahead of Sunday's race.

Meanwhile, Ferrari are the team celebrating after Carlos Sainz managed to claim his second consecutive pole position, and Charles Leclerc achieving third place behind Mercedes' George Russell.