Max Verstappen has once again demonstrated his recovery ability in Formula 1, achieving a commendable second place at the Brazilian GP, making an impressive comeback from 21st position on the grid. This is the third consecutive time the Red Bull Racing driver has stood out in Interlagos, having won from 17th place in 2024 and from the pit last year.
Despite the final result, Verstappen’s start was not ideal. In the post-race press conference, he admitted: “To be honest, I had a very slow reaction time at the start because I was holding the steering wheel incorrectly. I needed to react quickly and I was delayed, so that was my mistake.”
Moreover, the driver faced difficulties in the early corners, where a traffic jam prevented him from advancing. “I was disappointed not to be able to progress as Lewis did, who had a very good first lap,” he commented.
However, once he overcame that poor start, Verstappen initiated a spectacular comeback. “In two laps, it seemed like I was passing cars like it was nothing. We had much more grip than most drivers in the middle of the grid,” he explained.
The Dutch driver continued to advance until he secured second position, and he even saw an opportunity to fight for victory. However, he noticed a change in the performance of his car after the first round of pit stops, indicating that he suffered from excessive instability in the slick tires.
“After switching to slicks, I felt that the car had too much oversteer in the fast corners, which made it very difficult to drive,” he added. Verstappen emphasized the need to analyze if there was any damage or loss of aerodynamics that explained this change.
Despite the setbacks, his comeback from 21st to 2nd position was considered a success, and he was recognized as Driver of the Day. The driver expressed his desire to start the next edition of the GP from a better position: “I would like to start further up instead of from the back or from the pit. It would be great to have a more favorable start.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
