Max Verstappen delivers Red Bull clear weakness message: ‘We need to work on that’

Max Verstappen has urged Red Bull to fix its recurring poor race starts despite securing victory in the Singapore Sprint and taking pole position for Sunday's grand prix. The Dutchman won the Sprint by over two seconds ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, but another sluggish launch highlighted ongoing getaway issues that have affected the team throughout the 2026 season.

Verstappen later claimed pole position at Marina Bay by 0.054 seconds over Leclerc, with Hamilton in third. Looking ahead to the main race, Verstappen stated that improving their launch performance is more critical than long-run pace, stressing the team must understand why their starts keep going wrong.