The Dutchman’s 10-race winning streak on his relentless march towards a hat-trick of world titles was ended by Carlos Sainz’s win around the streets of Singapore as Red Bull struggled to get their set-up right all weekend.
Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez both failed to make the final qualifying session before the championship leader extended his advantage to 151 points by battling to finish fifth.
Red Bull’s difficulties opened the field up for a thrilling race as Ferrari’s Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris held off the charging Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, but Verstappen is not bothered if people believe his dominance is bad for the sport.
“For me, we got beaten in a very clear way,” Verstappen said.
“I don’t think about what is good for Formula One and I don’t think it was necessarily bad for Formula One because we were just better than everyone else.
“If people cannot appreciate that then you are not a real fan. If people did a better job than us then they deserved to win.
“They shouldn’t win because people say it is boring that we are winning.”
Red Bull’s bid to become F1’s first ‘invincibles’ also came to an end in Singapore as they failed to win a race for the first time this season.
The team, who are likely to win the constructors’ title this weekend, are widely expected to return to winning ways at Suzuka on a track which would appear to suit their car perfectly.
Lewis Hamilton said he believes the Red Bull car should be “phenomenal” on a circuit renowned for its high-speed corners, and Verstappen is excited at the chance to put last weekend behind him.
“We stopped winning for one race but s*** happens. We won 10 in a row before that,” Verstappen said.
“I would have liked to win there as well but I know there will be a weekend where you are not winning and things go wrong. It was last weekend but we move on and try again.
“It should be a good track for us this weekend but when you look at McLaren they have been making great gains and they are normally strong in the high-speed corners so they can be quite strong here I think.”
Verstappen is unable to clinch his third world title this weekend but may well achieve that feat next time out in Qatar – where he could even win it via the Saturday sprint race.
“If it happens on a Saturday, a Sunday, the week after, I know that it is coming but it is not something I am thinking about too much how I win it,” he added.
