In a new spectacular episode of his career, Max Verstappen has once again surprised everyone with an impressive comeback in the Brazilian Grand Prix. After starting in twenty-first position, the Dutch driver managed to finish the race in second place, thus consolidating a tradition of excellence on this track.
However, the start of the race was not everything Verstappen had hoped for. In the post-race press conference, he acknowledged that his start was not adequate: ‘I had a very slow reaction time because I was holding the clutch steering wheel incorrectly. I had to react quickly, but I fell behind.’ This error began his day of initial difficulties.
In the early laps, Verstappen found difficulties in the first corners when a traffic jam limited his overtaking opportunities. As he stated, ‘Lewis had a very good start and was able to pass the cars in front of me. I was disappointed not to be able to do the same.’ Despite this, shortly after, the Red Bull Racing driver found his rhythm and began to advance rapidly.
Within a few laps, Verstappen started to overtake several rivals, highlighting that he felt much more grip in his car compared to those in the midfield. ‘I don’t know what lap I entered the top 10, but it all happened very quickly,’ he commented.
After a first round of pit stops, the Dutchman experienced unexpected changes in the behavior of his car. ‘When I switched to slick tires, I had an extreme amount of oversteer in the fast corners, which made driving very difficult,’ he reported.
Despite finishing in second place, Verstappen acknowledges that his car was not in the best condition. ‘We need to understand if there was any failure in the car, any loss of aerodynamics, or anything else, because that was not normal. I am happy with second place, but I know there was more to achieve if the car had been in good condition.’
After the race, Verstappen inspected the rear of his vehicle to check for damage, while his team had also detected a loss of rear downforce. ‘We need to find out what failed as soon as we made the switch to slick tires. The difference between the first and second stint was palpable,’ he concluded.
Despite everything, the rise from twenty-first to second place is a remarkable milestone, earning him the Driver of the Day award. With comebacks at Interlagos holding a tradition, Verstappen expressed his desire to change that: ‘Maybe next year I would like to start a little further up instead of having a penalty.’
Thus, the world champion wants to prepare for a future where he can start races with more advantage, aiming to repeat successes without complications.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_26641df5d5b3a65ad63cb18090d4265e4374696f