Max Verstappen with a completely new car at the start in Japan: ‘Ready for battle’ | Motorsport

Three-time world champion Verstappen dropped out after just a few laps in Melbourne, while teammate Sergio Pérez suffered from floor damage and did not get further than fifth.

Suzuka is one of Verstappen’s favorite circuits. It will rain heavily in Japan on Wednesday and there is also a chance of precipitation in the coming days, especially Friday and Sunday. Red Bull is introducing a significant package of updates in the fourth race weekend of the season, which should make the RB20 even faster.

“Suzuka is always a great circuit to race on,” said Verstappen. “As a team we have had many special memories here over the years, including winning the Constructors’ Championship last year and winning my second Drivers’ Championship in 2022.”

‘Impressive performance’

Verstappen flew straight from Melbourne to Japan for some free time and then some promotional work. “It was nice to get away with family and friends and always nice to spend some time in Tokyo. We had bad luck in the last race, the one in Melbourne, and these things can happen once in a while. But we have achieved nine race wins in a row, which is an impressive achievement, so we want to come back even stronger this weekend. The team is confident about next weekend at Suzuka: it is an iconic circuit and it is always fun to drive there. The circuit has a lot of fast corners and high tire wear and we need to make sure we optimize our performance, especially with rain forecast for this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and ready to battle for victory.”