Spectacular comeback: Max Verstappen from the back row to P2!

Max Verstappen had already shown in qualifying just how strong he is on a wet track at Interlagos. The four-time champion from the Red Bull Racing team did pull out after the first qualifying segment. However, this was not because he had failed to make it through to Q2. Having set the third-fastest lap, the Dutchman simply saw no point in going out again, as it was clear he would have to start the 20th race of the season in Brazil from the back of the grid. This was because the use of a fresh power unit, which exceeded the permitted allocation, had relegated him to the back of the field.

But Verstappen wouldn’t be Verstappen if he’d let that discourage him. The 74-time Grand Prix winner got off to a flying start and worked his way into the top 10 within the first eleven laps. The 29-year-old showed particularly strong pace on the intermediate tyres. After switching to the soft slicks, he struggled more, as his lap times revealed. In the end, he had to settle for second place behind winner Lando Norris.

Afterwards, the driver with 256 Grand Prix starts to his name said: “That was a challenging race. I think the first few laps were very important. I overtook a lot of cars and the start in particular was really strong. I don’t know if we sustained any damage afterwards, because the car suddenly felt completely different to how it had at any point over the weekend.”

“The car’s balance was really odd, and that’s why, unfortunately, I couldn’t make any further progress once I was in second place. We need to find out what went wrong there. But I mean, if you start from 21st on the grid and end up second on the podium, then in my opinion you’ve achieved a very good result,” Verstappen went on to give himself a pat on the back.

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