Max Verstappen has explained how a rocky start to Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix made his decisive victory so “emotional”.
Verstappen started 17th, but showed his class in the rain, ending a 10-race winless streak and opening up a 62-point lead over Lando Norris with three races remaining.
The Dutchman’s low grid position was the result of an unfortunate Q2 exit early on Sunday after Saturday’s storm forced the session to be postponed to the morning of the race.
Verstappen received a fifth-place penalty and was pushed further down the grid after having a new engine fitted at the start of the weekend, but admitted he was struggling to cope with the disappointment at the time of his elimination.
“It’s definitely an emotional victory. I was very upset this morning and today my emotions were going from left to right,” Verstappen said. sky sports f1.
“I was surprised to win here today. I had a very good start, avoided trouble, did some great overtaking and was very fast.
“When the red flag came out we made the right decision to evade. Suddenly it started raining and it was impossible to drive on wet tires.
“I think it’s really great that they’re so calm, as well as on the phone with the team, and they help me on the pit wall make the right decisions. In a race like this, it’s very important to be able to do that. It’s a big deal.”
He later added to reporters, “I don’t even know where to start, because my emotions today were from almost destroying the garage to winning the race.”
Verstappen reveals the secret to his wet performance
Verstappen got off to a great start in Sunday’s race, taking sixth place after just one lap. That included passing Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1. He used this corner effectively to pick off cars one by one and eventually took the lead from Esteban. Ocon after the safety car restart.
A key move was Red Bull’s decision to keep Verstappen out of the race during the virtual safety car, allowing him to jump out in front of three cars, including Norris, before the red flag came out, costing him time. I was able to install new tires without any problems.
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Max Verstappen overtook Esteban Ocon to lead the race in Brazil after Carlos Sainz’s crash brought out the safety car.
“I had a good feeling to be in front. I felt comfortable. Since I was little, I used to drive in the rain a lot with my dad and my best friend,” Verstappen continued.
“We’ve been practicing different scenarios each time. Of course, you can be comfortable in these situations, but the car still has to work. Today it gave me confidence.”
“I’m incredibly happy with this result. It was an incredible race for us.”
Verstappen names victory in Sao Paulo as personal best
Verstappen now has 62 wins, with only Michael Schumacher (91 wins) and Lewis Hamilton (105 wins) having been on the top step of the podium more.
Sunday’s performance was reminiscent of Verstappen’s run at Interlagos in 2016, when he raced through a wet field to reach the podium.
“This time it’s definitely much more important than back then. I had nothing to lose there. I wasn’t in contention for the championship and I made a strategic mistake that turned it around. ” said Verstappen.
“Now there was more at stake. So I had to be more in control and more aware of the championship. So, for me, this is definitely the best match.” [of the two]. ”
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George Russell overtook Lando Norris at the opening corner to take the race lead, while Max Verstappen quickly overtook Lewis Hamilton to move into 10th place.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said he “absolutely did not expect” his team to win and believed Verstappen was “the best in the world” in all conditions.
“It was a master class and in those conditions a driver’s skill really comes into play and he was in a league of his own,” he said. sky sports f1.
“As a team, we made all the decisions right and the car had great pace. It was a great run from 17th place. “It felt like everything was against us this morning, but he made it through. I turned it around.
“He got off to a great start and pulled away six cars in the first lap. That was a great performance from him and one of his best performances.”
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