Despite McLaren’s strong performance in the São Paulo sprint race, Max Verstappen managed to limit the damage. After a thrilling battle with Charles Leclerc, the Dutchman crossed the finish line in third place, reducing his championship lead by only two points. “It was a tough race,” he said.
“The speed was good, and we were able to stay in the DRS zone the whole time,” the Red Bull driver said after the sprint race. “I’m quite satisfied, although it took a bit too long to overtake Charles (Leclerc). When everyone is in the DRS zone, it’s hard to attack. I had to wait for him to make some mistakes, and I was able to take advantage of that.”
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s Grand Prix, Verstappen is also in good spirits. “This race pace was promising, although it might rain tomorrow.” However, he still has to qualify well for the main race later today. “I expect them (McLaren) to still be very fast over one lap, but hopefully we can limit the damage. Especially with the five-place grid penalty I still have to take.”
The stewards are currently investigating whether Max Verstappen will be penalized for violating the Virtual Safety Car rules as he may have launched an attack on Oscar Piastri too early.
