Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen lost victory to a late puncture on Sunday. Getty/Clive Rose

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen, in particular, have enjoyed a dream run this Formula One season. Max is riding on a record 16-win season while claiming the third world championship title simultaneously. Needless to say, the team will look to win the rest of the remaining few rounds of the F1 calendar.

This weekend, the Formula One caravan has reached Brazil. It will be a sprint weekend as the Mercedes, in particular, are confident of putting up a good show. After all, George Russell secured the team’s stand-alone win of the season this time last year. Amid raging competition, Max Verstappen is losing confidence in a Red Bull win at Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

   

Max Verstappen Unsure Of 17th Season Win At Brazil Owing To Sprint Weekend!

Lewis Hamilton
Credits: IMAGO Motorsport Images

For the third last round of the 2023 season, Formula One has arrived in Brazil for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Last year, fans witnessed extraordinary results as a struggling Mercedes clinched their only win of the season while Max Verstappen finished P6. Meanwhile, Verstappen has been having flashbacks of 2022 as he recently expressed his reservations about securing his 17th-season win at Brazil. During the media day, the Dutch driver said that Red Bull did manage to figure out the areas of concern from last year. But since this is a sprint weekend, one practice session won’t be enough to fall back to the top of things straight away.

Max Verstappen also pointed out the unpredictable nature of the Sao Paulo track. He says that the track has a lot of low-speed corners, and RB19, in particular, is not as great as it should be in that area. Thus, getting the setup of the car right is vital, and the lack of practice sessions might cost him a win, feels Verstappen. Having said that, Red Bull is in a much better place compared to last year. They face no imminent threat. As far as Mercedes is concerned, Lewis Hamilton has already confirmed that he is not dazzled with the performance of his W14. And thus, expects the drink-based outfit to fly past him. While it does seem that the Bulls will end up as the winners, the race weekend is long, and a lot can change in a moment.

Ahead Of Brazil Weekend, Verstappen Refuses To Help Red Bull Mate Checo, AGAIN!

Red Bull
Red Bull Racing pilots Max Verstappen and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez.

Last year, the infamous battle between Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez took place in Brazil. Checo, struggling to secure second place in the drivers championship, requested Verstappen to let him pass. But Max bluntly refused to step aside and asked his engineer to never make such requests ever again.

Well, it’s 2023, and Checo is in the same situation once again. Lewis Hamilton is trialing 20 points behind Sergio Perez for the second place. So, will Max Verstappen help his Red Bull teammate this time around? Apparently not. During media day, Max clarified that it shouldn’t always be his duty to help someone. He feels Checo should be able to do the job himself since RB19, on average, is the fastest car on the grid.