Red Bull made one ‘key’ change during Singapore Grand Prix that ‘transformed’ Max Verstappen’s race

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Red Bull could have been set for a disaster Singapore Grand Prix weekend if it wasn’t for a major change they made after Friday practice.

It’s clear that they don’t have the fastest car at the front of the Formula 1 field currently, with McLaren winning on Sunday by a 20-second margin with Lando Norris.

But all Max Verstappen needs to do to claim his fourth consecutive title is finish in second place in every race between now and the end of the year.

It means they can get away with being slower, but cannot allow themselves to have a disaster weekend or a retirement – one of which they came close to enduring at Marina Bay.

Red Bull setup change ‘transformed’ Max Verstappen’s car and weekend

Neither Red Bull car managed to place inside the top three of any practice session, and they looked destined for a podium-less weekend at a track that was their nemesis last year.

It was the only race they failed to win in 2023, but a major setup breakthrough before qualifying came at the perfect time, and allowed Verstappen to contend for the rostrum on Sunday.

Speaking about the adjustments on The Race’s F1 Podcast, Mark Hughes discussed what the reigning champions changed on their car to improve the balance.

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo shares what he’s ‘guaranteed’ from Max Verstappen after Singapore Grand Prix fastest lap

“The Friday car was so far out of the window because it just wasn’t generating the tyre temperature,” he said.

“I spoke to Pierre Wache after the session and he just said ‘when the car is like that, you don’t even know what the balance is.’

“At least they got the car working with the stiffer setup and that was the key decision that really transformed their weekend from a really very bad one it might’ve been, to a respectable one.”

Red Bull’s big chance to make up ground in the title hunt

Such is the tough nature of the Formula 1 calendar, paddock personnel will now receive a four-week break before heading to Austin for the United States Grand Prix.

It should provide Red Bull with an opportunity to think of solutions for their car, and maybe even upgrade it ahead of the final seven races of the season.

READ MORE: Paddock insider shares when ‘a lot of’ people now expect Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 exit to be confirmed

Alternatively, they don’t want to be too aggressive, or risk going backward in the closing stages of the year much like Ferrari did in 2018 when their developments were not working.

They have the great equaliser in Verstappen behind the wheel, who as we have seen before, is quite the clutch racer in key moments.

All they need to do is make sure that they can give him a car capable of reaching the podium, and the pressure will continue to be on championship rival Norris to win all remaining races.