Max Verstappen believes his chances for any more victories could be over after missing out at the Turkish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was arguably the fastest man on the slippery Istanbul Park track, leading all three practice sessions and dominating qualifying until drying conditions allowed Lance Stroll to snatch pole on intermediates.
Then in the race, the Red Bull driver was starting to rekindle that pace advantage, but a spin trying to follow Sergio Perez through Turn 11 forced him to pit again and dropped Verstappen out of contention.
“Although the track conditions were very tricky on Friday I was pleased with the balance we found and the car was working well,” he reflected.
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“We felt we had good momentum for the weekend so it was obviously disappointing for everyone in the team to finish sixth in the race as it was not where we hoped or expected to be.
“We had some issues and also seemed to eat up the rear tyres quicker than others,” Max suggested.
“It is not only me but everyone in the team who left Turkey disappointed because we all want to win.
“I do not expect that we will see these types of track conditions again though so the last races will probably be more straightforward.”
Indeed, the final three races, a doubleheader in Bahrain and the finale in Abu Dhabi, take place on circuits Red Bull haven’t won at since 2013.
And though there’s the unknown of Bahrain’s ‘Outer Circuit’ which will host the Sakhir GP, adding to his sole win at the second race in Silverstone will be an uphill challenge for Verstappen.