Max Verstappen has expressed that a rollercoaster weekend at the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix took him from wanting to “destroy the garage to winning the race”.
Verstappen reigned supreme in Brazil as he surged from 17th place on the grid in treacherous conditions to take a win that has moved him closer to retaining his title.
The Dutchman appeared in competitive shape in the wet during the earlier qualifying session, but an ill-timed stoppage as Q2 ended saw him eliminated in 12th place.
Verstappen was incensed with the FIA’s 40-second wait to throw the red flag as Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin was stranded, labelling the decision “bull****” and “stupid”.
But despite a five-place grid drop due to an engine change dropping him lower down the order, Verstappen responded with an all-time drive to triumph for a 62nd time.
“I don’t even know where to start, because my emotions today have been from almost trying to destroy the garage to winning the race,” he quipped to media including Motorsport Week.
“I mean, starting P17, I knew that we could have a good race.
“But in qualifying I think it was quite clear that there was only one line that you could take, so I knew that overtaking was going to be quite tough.”
Verstappen recalls storming first lap
Verstappen’s charge began with a scintillating opening lap that saw him move up six spots, while he then dispatched Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1 the next time around.
The reigning F1 champion passed several other drivers, but he got caught up in a group behind Yuki Tsunoda until pit stops ahead propelled him up into second place.
Verstappen received some fortune when Franco Colapinto crashed as the rain increased, prompting a red flag which allowed him to switch tyres and preserve second.
“The race, I mean, very good start, that helped already, very good first lap,” he recalled. “And yeah, from there on you just pick a few drivers here and there.
“I got a little bit stuck behind the train of Yuki, I think and then we just stayed calm, it was still a very long race actually and we made the right calls.
“When some pitted, the rain was coming, we stayed out, which was very sketchy and then I saw Esteban [Ocon] in front of me flying, like four seconds a lap faster.
“I was like, ‘I’m just happy to keep the car on the track’.
“I mean, at one point we needed a red flag, it was just undrivable even on extreme tyres it would not have been possible.
“Because of the banking of the tack here you know, it’s filling up very quickly and I almost felt like I was driving a boat.”
Verstappen pinpoints turning point
Verstappen’s miraculous comeback was complete upon a later restart when he lunged down Ocon’s inside with a late manoeuvre on the Alpine into Turn 1 on Lap 43.
Asked to pinpoint the moment he thought it was possible to win, Verstappen, who opened up a 19-second gap to Ocon, answered: “When I got past Esteban in Turn 1.
“I mean, before that the pace was there, I was just trying to build it up slowly. Because after the red flag restart, Esteban was very fast.
“Then just when the Safety Car actually came out, I was starting to catch him a bit But then the tyres were again very cold.
“Then the restart, I got by and from there onwards I just tried to look after the tyres because you never know what was going to happen to the end.
“The wear is always very high around here. But I felt good, the car was having a nice balance.
“I had to be concentrated to not make any mistakes because the surface was still slippery.”
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