Max Verstappen believes that Red Bull will "come back stronger" at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix following their tough start to the season. The team suffered a double DNF in Bahrain, with both Verstappen and Sergio Perez forced to retire in the closing stages of the race. Despite this difficult end to the event, Verstappen thinks that there are many positives for the squad to take from the weekend in Sakhir. "Last weekend was a tough one for all of us to take, we win and lose as a team and we’ll come back stronger this week," Verstappen said in a Red Bull preview of the upcoming race in Jeddah. "We have a good package and we were competitive in Bahrain, so there are positives to take from the weekend, and we have a very long season ahead – it's only the first race."
Verstappen "curious" to see impact of track changes
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit hosted the inaugural F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021. Since then, there have been some key changes made, both to the track and to the technical regulations of the sport. With this in mind, Verstappen is looking forward to seeing how the experience of driving the circuit differs in 2022. "Looking ahead to Saudi, the track is still very new for us," the Dutchman explained. "Last year the humidity was challenging, and they've made some small adjustments to visibility in sector one, so I'm curious to see how it's going to be this time around. "It's a really quick track with high-speed straights, and this year the cars are slightly heavier so it's going to be really interesting to see how they will perform. I'm really looking forward to it, it should be enjoyable!"
Perez aiming for a "clean race" in Jeddah
Meanwhile, Perez remains disappointed by his retirement from the Bahrain Grand Prix, but is keen to hit the ground running in Saudi Arabia. The Mexican recorded a DNF at last year's event in Jeddah, so is hoping for a better result this time around. "I am looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend," Perez said. "Bahrain was difficult, I was one lap away from starting the season on the podium, but I am confident in this team and we will work together to overcome it. The positive thing is it's a long season ahead, we have a quick car and I felt very competitive throughout the race. "I am hoping to take that pace and utilise it from qualifying through to Sunday in Jeddah. Last season's race there was crazy, it is a very challenging track and will be even more so in the new cars. "Unfortunately, I didn’t finish the race in 2021 so I want a clean race and to show the full potential of this car."
Most read
