Max Verstappen’s Savage, from 21st to 2nd in Brazil: “I started overtaking cars at full speed in each corner, but we have to find out if the car broke down. It wasn’t normal. There was some problem. I did most of the race with a car that wasn’t right”
Max Verstappen signed another feat. The Dutchman painted another of his magnificent works in Interlagos, to be framed and sent directly to the best museums on the planet. He did it where before he had already honored with three magical races the driver with whom he has always been compared so much, Ayrton Sennaauthor of some of the most epic comebacks in history in the rain.
On Saturday, Max He warned that on this occasion, starting 21st due to a change in the power unit, with the new regulations (without DRS) and in the rain, it would be much more difficult. He saw it as impossible to perform similar feats again. In 2016, in his second year in F1, the first with Red Bullfell to 16th in the race and climbed 13 positions to be 3rd under heavy rain.
In 2024, he came 17th and won the race, one of his most memorable events under a heavy downpour, where he gained 16 places. In 2025, he signed another magnificent event by starting from the pit lane (19th) and gaining 16 positions to finish third. And on Sunday, even though he believed that it was not possible to repeat something like that, he did it again.
The four-time world champion started 21st and seemed to get more stuck than usual at the start. Hamilton, who started 20th, gained 11 positions in the first lap with a video game start, although he soon stalled and faded due to the poor pace of his car and the wear of the wheels.
What of Max It was very different. The Dutchman revealed in the post-race press conference that he made a mistake with the position of his hand on the clutch and that’s why it went wrong. And to top it all off, he had to deal with a funnel that formed before him. It seems like he had everything against him and it wouldn’t be his day. But he reacted, without despairing, without getting nervous and without overacting. A spectacular symphony of overtaking began, curve after curve, with a veritable recital of different lines to overtake multiple drivers.
So, on lap 3, Max Verstappen He was already 10th and on lap 4 he passed hamilton to get 9th. On lap 11 he was already 5th. He stopped for the pits on lap 18, when he was 2nd because some of the cars in front of him had already stopped, and then he put on the soft dry tire. And with the track still wet, he continued to advance: on lap 24 he was 3rd after leaving the track. Kimi Antonelli. And in lap 37 he was already 2nd after Hadjar let him through his best pace.
In fact, with soft rubber and in mixed conditions, he seemed to close the gap on Norris, but then, when it started to rain again, it faded. He got to within 5″ of Lando and ended up within 14″.
I overtook a lot of cars and actually the first run on the intermediate tires was really good. Unfortunately, after that, I don’t know if we suffered any kind of damage, because the car behaved in a completely opposite way.
When he got out of the car, he checked the floor of his car looking for any damage. And at the press conference he was sure that his car had had some problem since he put the soft rubber on, in his second round. That is to say, he completed his comeback with a lot of oversteer and balance problems, something that gives him even more value.
“It was a complicated race. I think the first laps were, of course, very important. I overtook a lot of cars and actually the first run on the intermediate tires was really good. Unfortunately, after that, I don’t know if we suffered any kind of damagebecause the car He was behaving in a way that was completely opposite to everything he had felt. during the weekend, with a very strange balance,” he commented.
“When I placed second, I couldn’t close the gap. So we have to understand what went wrong. But, taking into account that I started 21st and I finished second on the podium, I think it is a very good result,” he added.
As soon as I put the dry tires on, I suffered extreme oversteer in high-speed corners, which made driving extremely difficult.
“When you start so far back, you have to try to overtake the cars in front of you as quickly as possible. I think that first stint was really good. We got back into the top 10 very quickly and the pace wasn’t bad. But, “As soon as I put the dry tires on, I suffered extreme oversteer in the high-speed corners, which made driving extremely difficult.”he reiterated. “So we have to find out if something broke in the car, if we lost downforce or what happened, because it was not normal,” he commented, certain that he could go much faster.
“I know there was more potential if the car had been in good condition. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. “In fact, I did most of the race with a car that wasn’t in good condition, so to finish second is fantastic.”
“Maybe next year I would like to start a little further forward instead of from the back of the grid or from the pit lane.but we’ll see. “It’s been good,” he said, hoping not to have to come back any more in Brazil and to be able to start among the best on the grid.
“In rainy conditions you also probably have more opportunities to overtake. You can use different routes and you have more optionsso that has helped me today. But we also have to understand why or what happened to the car when we switched to dry tyres, because even when I refitted the intermediates at the end, the car was completely different from the first stint. “That shows there was some problem,” he explained.
In rainy conditions you also probably have more opportunities to overtake. You can use different lines and you have more options, so that has helped me
Explains his initial problems with the clutch
“Honestly, I reacted very slowly at the start because I was holding the clutch wrong, so then I had to react very quickly. I came out slow, and it was my fault. But then I had a bit of bad luck in the first three corners, where a traffic jam formed. There were three or four cars in front which limited how far I could go. In fact, Lewis had a very good first lap and managed to make his way through those cars, so I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t make as much progress as him. But later, In just two laps, I began to overtake cars at full speed, practically in every corner. I guess we had a lot more grip than most of the midfield cars.. “I don’t know in which lap I entered the top-10, but everything happened very quickly.”
I reacted very slowly at the start because I was holding the clutch wrong. I came out slow, and it was my fault. But then I had a bit of bad luck in the first three corners, where a traffic jam formed. Lewis had a very good first lap and managed to make his way through those cars, so I was disappointed that I couldn’t make as much progress as him.
Its performance in rain
“I don’t know. I was comfortable with the car, I was confident and I was just trying to find grip in different parts of the circuit. Then you have a car in front of you and you try to overtake it. This circuit also allows you to use different routessomething that I think is fantastic because it is very conducive to racing. It is a good circuit in both dry and wet conditions, and that creates more overtaking opportunities. You have to feel good in the car. You need to be comfortable so you can probably take a little more risk.and here it has worked quite well for me.”
I was comfortable with the car, I was confident and I was just trying to find grip in different parts of the circuit. Then you have a car in front of you and you try to overtake it. This circuit also allows you to use different routes, which I think is fantastic.
On Saturday I thought it was not possible to come back
“Honestly, I like to start well. I like races like this, but next year let’s try to start a little further ahead, please. It would be great to start there.
“I guess experience also helps a lot over the years.”both to manage difficulties during the race and to know when not to take too many risks. I think that also helped me today, because for me it was not an easy race due to the behavior of the car. Even so, we have achieved a good result. We wanted to score points and we have achieved a good amount. This circuit has always been good for me. Since I practically started competing here, I enjoy coming to Interlagos. Like I said, he has always treated me well and sometimes “Things come more naturally here than in other circuits.”
I went out on the track and thought: ‘Wow, how little grip.’ But then I had some cars around me and I thought, ‘No, I actually think we have a lot of grip.’ I knew we had a good balance and the first few laps showed that too. Unfortunately, after the first round all that disappeared
What you thought when you started the race
“I would say, after the laps on the way to the grid, I was pretty confident. I went out on the track and thought, ‘Wow, that’s not enough grip.’ But then I had a few cars around me and I thought, ‘No, I actually think we have a lot of grip.’ I knew we had a good balance and the first few laps showed that too. Unfortunately, after the first round all that disappeared completelybut at least The car worked during that first part and that allowed me to get here. I’m happy to have been able to score a good amount of points for the team. We also needed them for the Constructors’ Championship and I hope that this will allow us to face the end of the season well, during which we will still be able to learn a lot about the car and apply that knowledge to next year’s car.
