Max Verstappen’s charge through the field at the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix continues to attract acclaim, with Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies labelling it “sensational”.
Becoming only the fourth driver this century to achieve a podium finish after a pit-lane start, Verstappen’s drive at Interlagos was made possible after radical action from Red Bull.
Knocked out in Q1 with a car that he admitted he had no confidence in, Red Bull threw the kitchen sink at his RB21, breaking Parc Ferme to change the setup, and fit a new power unit.
The results transformed his car, the Dutchman carving his way through the field to, at one point, lead the race briefly to the surprise of his team and the paddock.
Securing third, Mekies sung the praises of the reigning champion, comparing his podium to his unlikely 2024 win, where the champion fought back from the lower order to take victory.
“Credit to Max for the sensational drive,” Mekies said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“He won last year here from P16 on the wet [P17 on the grid, but two drivers ahead did not start]. I think we would probably agree that it was as sensational as last year to bring it to P3 from the pitlane on a dry, relatively uneventful race.”
A radical strategy influenced by radical measures for Verstappen in Brazil GP
Advancing up the order in the opening laps, Verstappen’s progress was initially torpedoed by a the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car, which then forced him to stop twice more than rivals.
Mekies how this setback quickly became an advantage for the Dutchman in the later stages of the race.
“In fairness, we were a little bit helped in our disadvantage by the VSC, so it has limited a little bit the loss, but we’ve lost something for sure,” Mekies admitted.
“If you go a few laps longer in the whole sequence – hard, medium – then maybe at that stage you don’t do that final stop.”
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff revealed his awe at Verstappen’s strategy after the Dutchman’s intense battle with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the closing laps.
“Well, it’s quite interesting, the big step they made today,” Mercedes team principal Wolff said. “Fresh engine obviously always helps, like we had with Lewis [Hamilton] back in the day.
“But you never discount Max, even if he starts from last. A few years ago it was a wet race, so you kind of get your head around it, but that was a dry race – that’s the reason why he’s a four-time world champion.”
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