Sunday night started out with torrential, unrelenting rains on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. F1’s homecoming in Singapore was on the brink of drowning. A weekend to forget for Max Verstappen would just have gotten worse.

However, things did not pan out so badly for fans or for Red Bull for that matter. Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez made the most of his P2 in qualifying. The Mexican overtook Charles Leclerc, who started out in P1, for his second win of the season.

But his partner did not have a great weekend. Verstappen’s disappointing qualifying where he was forced into aborting a lap that would have landed him pole concluded with a P7 on race night.

Max is known for his aggression. It was no secret he’d try to climb the pack and get as close to the win even though he was starting at P8 on a track that is notoriously difficult to overtake on.

But at the end of the evening, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko wasn’t too happy with the Dutchman’s outing.

He said, “It wasn’t a birthday weekend. The set-up didn’t work on Friday, on Saturday there was a dilemma in qualifying. At the start the car was in the wrong position and then Max also made a mistake when braking. Somehow it didn’t all fit together. Max wanted to achieve too much and after such a start it was clear that that was no longer possible. (Translated via Google)”

Read More: “A Disgrace to the Sport”: Twitter Breaks Out Into a Rampage as Sergio Perez Keeps Hard-Fought Singapore GP Win

Marko’s words encapsulate what the Singapore weekend was like for Max Verstappen. He would obviously be disappointed as his title party will have to wait at least until Suzuka.

What are the chances for Max Verstappen to win this at Suzuka?

Verstappen left Saturday night visibly upset. Sunday only made things worse for the Dutchman.

His verdict on the evening was a dismayed one, “Of course, it’s better than eighth, but it’s not what I’m here for, not with a car like that and not with what we showed in practice. [It was] incredibly messy.”

Heading to Japan, Verstappen finds himself ahead of Leclerc and Perez by 104 and 106 points respectively. If Mad Max finds himself first to the finish line with the fastest lap timing, he will win the title regardless of what positions others finish at.

Watch This Story: Max Verstappen’s Cute Cats

Given the track in Suzuka is one that will favor Max’s strengths, odds will be heavily skewed in his favor. All that’s left to see is which Max turns up next weekend.