The Brazilian crowd at Interlagos witnessed something magical. Max Verstappen broke his ten-race winless streak, and what a way to register a victory. The Dutchman was distant from a first-place finish since the Spanish GP. Meanwhile, McLaren and Ferrari were consistently performing. This put an undue pressure on the RBR triple champion. Lando Norris was also chasing Verstappen to end his world title reign. The races leading to the Brazil GP were filled with heartbreaks and penalties for the 27-year-old Dutch driver.
However, he remained optimistic of turning the tides in his favor. What followed was a remarkable turnaround, as he clinched a victory starting from P17. Despite the silver lining, the Red Bull had a tumultuous start to the weekend. McLaren’s Lando Norris clinched both the Sprint race and Sunday pole. Thus, Verstappen was frustrated, while a couple of decisions further aggravated his woes. During the post-race media interaction, he revealed his anger was soaring high as he almost destroyed the RBR garage.
How Max Verstappen Used His Frustration To Fuel An “Once For The Ages” Victory
Max Verstappen had a tough start to the weekend as the tricky, wet surface made it impossible to control the RB20. The Red Bull F1 car, which was already struggling with aero issues, remained a tough nut to crack in the initial sessions. However, the three-time world champion had other plans. Max Verstappen was placed P17 on the grid after the Qualifying. A series of misfortune and a penalty pushed him to the last row. During the Saturday qualifying, Verstappen failed to clear the Q2 after a red flag hindrance. The Dutchman finished P12 after the Qualifying but was further brought five places down due to a PU penalty.
All the mishaps angered the Dutchman, combined with race stewards 40 seconds delay to upgrade Lance Stroll’s double yellow flag to red. Despite his frustration, he channeled it to cruise through the circuit, becoming the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen in 2005 to secure a victory starting from a position as low as P17.
Following his remarkable victory, Verstappen reflected on a tricky Saturday session that instigated him to “destroy the Red Bull garage” out of frustration. Despite a P17 spot, Verstappen was confident of a good race. However, he knew the difficult track conditions, making it almost impossible to overtake.
“I Was Driving a Boat” Max Verstappen Reflects on Dominant Victory in Brazil
Max Verstappen reflected on his recent victory, attributing his strong performance in part to an effective start, which set a solid foundation for the race. He was able to make progress by steadily overtaking drivers early on but soon found himself behind Yuki Tsunoda, briefly caught in a line of cars that slowed his pace. Despite this, Verstappen remained composed, aware that there was still a long way to go, and confident in his team’s strategy.
When rain began to complicate the conditions, Verstappen stayed out while some drivers opted to pit. Although remaining on track was risky, his team’s decision ultimately paid off. Verstappen noted that at one point, Esteban Ocon was lapping much faster ahead of him, making Verstappen focus on simply keeping his car under control on the slippery surface.
