Max Verstappen admitted that he struggled with the performance of his Red Bull throughout the Singapore Grand Prix, stating that the race was "more difficult" than he had thought it would be.
The defending World Champion impressed on Saturday by placing his RB21 on the front row, although his best time was almost two tenths slower than that of polesitter George Russell.
Despite starting on the quicker soft tyres, Verstappen was unable to make an impression on the leading Mercedes, and instead immediately fell into the clutches of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri behind.
Throughout the 62-lap event, the Dutchman complained to his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase regarding the drivability of his car, specifically with the downshifts and general lack of grip.
Verstappen Hangs On
Despite suffering from numerous issues with the car beneath him, Verstappen put up a stout defence against Norris, keeping the McLaren behind even with a performance deficit and numerous lapped cars to navigate.
In the end, the four-time Champion saw the chequered flag less than a second ahead of the Briton. Russell won the race.
Speaking to media after the night race, Verstappen first addressed the decision to start on the soft compound of tyre, which he said was made in a bid to snatch the lead from Russell on the opening lap.
He said: "Yeah, the track only just got dry and starting on the dirty side of the grid we just opted to try something different.
"Because normally, if you just cross or pass Turn 1, you just stay there without anything crazy. So we tried, it didn't really work out," stated the Red Bull driver.
Work To Do Before The Next Grand Prix
After failing to take the lead of the Grand Prix, Verstappen's next task was to try and hold onto the soft tyres for as long as possible. He managed this, but admitted that it wasn't without difficulty as he struggled with the balance of his RB21.
He continued: "Then the first thing was always about just surviving on the tyres, trying to make it long enough to then pit for the hard tyre. I think that worked out.
"But, unfortunately, I think the whole race was quite difficult, more difficult than I hoped for, for a lot of different reasons. So, a few things that we need to understand why these things went wrong today.
"But even then around here, even if you have more pace, you can't pass without anything crazy happening. So I think second was then the maximum result," Verstappen concluded.
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