Verstappen says Singapore start is key to victory bid

Max Verstappen has identified the start as his biggest concern ahead of Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, despite securing his 50th Formula 1 pole. Charles Leclerc will start alongside him and Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton behind; Verstappen says Ferrari have often made the best starts this season.

The concern follows the sprint, where Verstappen lost the lead to George Russell at the start. The getaway came in wet conditions, while a dry start looked more likely for Sunday's race, although rain remained possible. Verstappen said a few poor starts had made the issue more pressing, but stressed that a different problem affected his wet start in Malaysia.

Verstappen said Red Bull still needed to take a step forward with its starts, describing the problem as a combination of factors he could not explain in detail. Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have generally looked stronger off the line than the RB22, despite the teams sharing engines. Verstappen said their engineers can use different clutch and engine settings and tyre-warming procedures.

A good start would give Verstappen a strong chance to win, he said. Losing ground off the line would be painful; overtaking on Singapore's street circuit is a major challenge.