Max Verstappen said he went through a “roller coaster” of emotions after he came from 17th on the grid to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The championship leader scored his first victory in a grand prix for five months in a wet Brazilian Grand Prix, despite originally having started from 17th on the grid.Verstappen was frustrated after he was knocked out of Q2 in the morning’s qualifying session following a red flag. However, in the grand prix, he methodically picked his way through the field in the rainy conditions and then passed Esteban Ocon after a Safety Car restart to take the lead and win by almost 20 seconds.
“My emotions today have been a roller coaster,” he admitted. “With qualifying, being really unlucky with that red flag.”
Verstappen passed several rivals in the early laps and benefitted from getting to fit fresh intermediates during a red flag period following Franco Colapinto’s crash under the Safety Car.
“It was very hard to pass around here with the new Tarmac,” he explained. “It’s only one line that you can take. But I just knew that I had to go for it.
“Of course, it’s always easy to front lock, just trying to balance that out. I have confidence on the brakes as well, that helps. Turn one is always a great corner to pass.”
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While rival Lando Norris made mistakes and lost critical points to him in the battle at the top of the championship standings, Verstappen says he knew how critical is was for him to not make any errors of his own.
“Starting P17, I knew that it was going to be a very tough race,” he said.
“But we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm and we were fine. So all of these things together, of course, made that result possible. It’s unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid.”
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2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
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Edvaldo
3rd November 2024, 19:44
A tight and champion team behind a superstar talent.
Look at Russell, he wanted to stay out but the team called him anyway.
For things like this, it felt so unfair when Max threw them under the bus in Hungary in a rare instance they made a mistake.
Doh
4th November 2024, 9:27
“made the right calls” is odd since it was a pretty big gamble. No acknowledgement of how lucky they got both with the timing of the sc deployment and colapintos crash. Had the safety car come out a lap or two later and/or no red flag it would have been another Hungary situation to use your example. Max likely would have ended up well back down the order albeit with the second half of of the race still to run
Mayrton
4th November 2024, 12:56
Only in dreams.
BasCB (@bascb)
3rd November 2024, 19:44
Yeah, they did, although it was partly down to luck with having a red flag, they surely wouldn’t have made it to the end with those tyres if not for that red flag.
Grapmg
3rd November 2024, 20:17
They didn’t have to bring it to the end. Max had the pace to gain a 23s lead on Russel so a additional pitstop was always a possibility.
Doh
4th November 2024, 9:21
Most people are missing what actually was happening. Before the safety car max was on old tyres and being caught rapidly by the alpine and Norris/Russel behind. Max was only 2 seconds ahead when the sc was deployed. And cook was pulling away. Ocon was also holding the lead after red flag. It was getting by at the second restart which allowed him to pull away since he was in clean air.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
3rd November 2024, 19:49
Good thing Jos doesn’t know what hes talking about concerning Horner and RBR ;)
Johns
3rd November 2024, 22:03
I think Jos needs to leave Max alone. I know it is hard for a dad to leave his son to live his own life, but it has to happen.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
4th November 2024, 17:34
Nah, he just needs to learn to screw over people that are trying to screw over him. Maybe in a way he helped undermine Toto’s relationship with Russell, with all the Max talk, but a small price to pay for all the garbage drama riddling RBR’s effort.
Hopefully the Ford deal pays off, and they curb stomp Mercedes. Hopefully it’s real nuanced too, and Mercedes are ever so close, but always 10+ meters short. And nobody can figure it out. Complete deception.
Yes (@come-on-kubica)
3rd November 2024, 20:14
I mean lucky red flag is a strategy call. I imagine max would be completely different if that red flag hadn’t appeared and his tyres were done.
Patrick (@paeschli)
3rd November 2024, 20:16
Took some balls to not just mirror Norris strategy when Max already had done enough to minimize the damage. It was a gamble and it paid off.
miciek (@micio)
3rd November 2024, 20:55
It’s always easier to gamble when you are behind.
OOliver
3rd November 2024, 21:01
It is easier for the driver behind to make the right calls because they don’t have anything to lose.
Nevertheless, it was increasingly obvious that the best option was to continue for as long as was possible as in such changeable weather there is no such thing as a routine pitstop. The weather was predicting a crash in about 5 laps.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
4th November 2024, 2:55
Literally laughed out loud when VER got on the radio and whined saying that someone didn’t leave him a car’s width on the outside. Same guy they doesn’t stay on the track on the inside and doesn’t think he should be penalized.
MacLeod (@macleod)
4th November 2024, 7:50
But this race Max stayed on the track and even gave room ….
Mayrton
5th November 2024, 7:07
I think it is a bit strange to start diminishing the logical call RedBull and other teams made given the circumstances on track. Has nothing to do with luck. It is rather the stupidity of others. I can’t believe McLaren pitted. How many mistakes do they keep on making. Pity for Norris, although he was in it himself thinking he could undercut Russell. His impatience cost them. Hopefully all learnings they take into 2025 and start being a serious competitor. It will take a level higher from McLaren to keep Max behind them in the championship, despite having the fastest car.