As Free Practice 2 concluded under the night lights of the Marina Bay Circuit, Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda had contradicting insights into how the double red-flagged FP2 session unfolded in their favour – with Verstappen sounding cautiously confident, while Tsunoda felt visibly frustrated.
Max Verstappen
After Verstappen stood third in both FP1 and FP2, the Dutchman shared that while the car wasn’t exactly perfect, the foundation was strong enough to build upon it.
“It was not too bad,” Verstappen said.
“I think FP1 started quite nicely just getting up to speed, and the car was not too bad. A bit like the last two weekends, no major problems. In FP2, some things we tried were good, some less so. We just need to optimise a bit more.”
While Red Bull’s performance in Singapore hasn’t been on par with their performance on other tracks, the driver applauded the team’s ability to catch up and find a consistent rhythm. He emphasized that while there are still areas for improvement, particularly in the front and rear grip, alongside tyre management, the car is in a workable window.
Rather than needing to rebuild the setup, Verstappen said the team would focus on small refinements to keep tyres alive, especially with overheating being a constant challenge around Marina Bay. However, he remained careful about where they stand ahead of qualifying, noting that FP2 times can be “tricky” due to teams running different engine modes.
Yuki Tsunoda
Contrary to his teammate, Tsunoda was left fuming after FP2, which left his final session of the day compromised – a trend that the driver has become too familiar with. The driver concluded the session in 11, a two-place drop from his FP1 position.
“It’s always kind of the trend that in FP2, I never have a clean session. It really pisses me off,” he admitted. “But yeah, it’s life. I just have to stay calm and optimise the setup.”
Throughout the course of both practice sessions, the Japanese driver admitted to persistent grip issues; he reported minor improvements towards the end of FP2, but the driver disclosed that the RB21 still struggled for balance while the other cars on track seemed to be improving.
Despite the challenges, he remained focused on staying calm and working with the team overnight to optimise the setup for Saturday. Still, a clean run in FP3 will be crucial if he’s to salvage momentum heading into qualifying.
Heading into Saturday
Both drivers highlighted tyre performance and front grip as key themes emerging from FP2. Verstappen sits within striking distance of the top and appears confident in Red Bull’s ability to dial in the car overnight. For Tsunoda, frustration continues to mount as disrupted sessions limit his ability to show what the car, and he, can do.
