Verstappen Looking Forward To Japanese Grand Prix After Disappointing DNF

Monday, 01 April 2024 at 19:30

The triple World Champion Max Verstappen said he looks forward to the fourth race of the season at Suzuka Circuit.

Coming into round number four of the 2024 season- the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is leading the Drivers' Championship four points ahead of Charles Leclerc in second place.

The Dutchman maintained the lead in the Championship despite not finishing the Australian Grand Prix and scoring zero points. However, his leading position is now in danger, and he is looking to extend his advantage in Japan. As Planet F1 reported, he said:

"So far, good, but of course, everyone has a bit of different characteristics in their cars as well, you know, so it's not a given that we will be really, really competitive like last year."

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Suzuka Circuit seems to be a track that suits the 26-year-old very well. In last year's qualifying session, he scored pole position by more than half a second (0,581 seconds to be exact) ahead of Lando Norris in second place.

The triple World Champion then went on to win the race 19.387 seconds ahead of the McLaren driver. This year, he will be looking to achieve a similar result, mainly because he was motivated by a DNF from the previous race. Verstappen said:

"I’m excited, it’s a track that I really enjoy. I know that I’m confident with the car, I feel good."

The Red Bull Racing F1 driver highlighted that he feels like he is in good form as his car wasn't supposed to be on the pole in Australia. He said:

"Especially I think we shouldn't have been on pole [in Melbourne] but the laps that we did were really good. So I just want to have a good weekend again and feel good with the car."

Verstappen currently holds a streak of four consecutive pole positions (counting the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix). Can he extend it to five in Japan?