Verstappen: “Of course the Red Bull RB19 had weaknesses, we are working on them for next year”

In particular, the Dutchman said that the RB19 was at a disadvantage when cornering slowly compared to the other leading cars in Formula 1, as well as the special conditions on circuit roads. Significantly, the team’s only defeat in 2023 was in Singapore due to the asphalt surface in the Asian port.

During these three days in particular, the “bubbles” on Singapore’s roads forced RBR to adjust the RB19 to a higher height above the ground, which resulted in the aerodynamics of Adrian Newey’s car not working optimally.

When asked whether there were weaknesses in the RB19, Verstappen said “Of course there was. Check out our three days in Singapore. In general I think we have a little more problems on the street circuits, and the same thing happened in Las Vegas.

The champion continued: “Low-speed corners are definitely not the car’s strong suit. Also bumps and curbs, so those are areas where we can improve.

We are working on our car to make it better. I think we know our weaknesses and we will try to work on that, of course we will try to make our strengths even stronger.”added the 25-year-old Dutchman, who with his 54th victory in Abu Dhabi became the third driver in history behind Lewis Hamilton (103) and Michael Schumacher (91).

Wasser: “Verstappen will make mistakes when he is put under pressure”

Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari director Fred Wasser said Max Verstappen’s flawless driving performance would not be repeated in 2023, with the Dutchman facing greater pressure from competition – and Ferrari in particular – in the new year.

The Frenchman said so “no one doubts that [ο Φερστάπεν] he had a great season. He found himself in a fight with Cheko [Σέρτζιο Πέρεζ] in the first 2-3 games, and then it was on another planet. He obviously didn’t make any mistakes and whenever he had problems in the qualifying tests, such as in Jeddah, they were clearly mechanical problems. But then he was always there, always had good starts, no contact.

But I think we’re getting closer. I wouldn’t say we put pressure on him because that’s not true. In Abu Dhabi he was not under pressure, but he was under a little more pressure than in Zandvoort or other races where he was “flying”. The only thing that worries us is that, like everyone else, he will make more mistakes under pressure. Apart from us in the last 2-3 years, no one has made it this year family doctor, and in Singapore with Carlos [Σάινθ]. But Verstappen made some mistakes, or Red Bull made some mistakes in the settings”Water concluded.