Verstappen Expected To 'Regain His Old Strength' In Japan

Monday, 01 April 2024 at 22:30

Former F1 driver Timo Glock expects to see more of Red Bull's dominance during the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix.

The Red Bull Racing F1 team has some good memories associated with the Suzuka Circuit, as it was here that they sealed their 2023 Constructors Championship title.

Right now, the Austrian team is far from securing the title, as the race was moved from the 18th Grand Prix weekend of the season to the fourth.

As it stands, Red Bull leads both Championships but only by four points after an unlucky weekend in Australia. Max Verstappen had to retire his car, and Sergio Perez suffered damage that reduced his performance.

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Nevertheless, the team from Milton Keynes is the favorite coming into the race at Suzuka. Former F1 driver Timo Glock wrote in his column for Sky Germany:

"With Dr. Helmut Marko's smile, he knows for sure that Max will regain his old strength with the car in Japan,"

"It's the dominance of the car. You could also see here [in Melbourne] in the fast corners that Red Bull is one step ahead of everyone else. They will find their old strength again in Japan."

Last time around, Verstappen destroyed his competition in qualifying at Suzuka by more than half a second and finished the race almost 20 seconds ahead of everyone.

The Dutchman will also be slightly more motivated after scoring zero points in Melbourne. As quoted by F1, Helmut Marko said:

"I think Max will arrive in Japan sufficiently well-charged. Suzuka is a great track, it's a track that we've always performed well, and it is Honda's home circuit. The drivers enjoy it and love racing there. So we're looking forward to going back."

Red Bull was rumored to bring a big upgrade to the Japanese Grand Prix, moving their car closer to Mercedes's "zero-pod" concept, which will be one more thing to look out for.