'Unbelievable': Verstappen Shares Thoughts After 'Roller Coaster' Sunday In Brazil
F1Monday, 04 November 2024 at 12:25
The winner of the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Max Verstappen, shared his feelings after one of the best performances in his career.
The Sunday at Interlagos Circuit did not start well for the Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, who was fuming after the qualifying, where he got knocked out of Q2 due to an unlucky red flag.
The Dutchman qualified in P12, and on top of that, he had a five-second penalty for a new ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) in his power unit, which meant he had to start the wet race in Sao Paulo from P17.
Although Interlagos Circuit is one of the best for overtaking, this is not the case in wet weather. However, the 27-year-old delivered a masterclass.
The Dutchman went from P17 to P11 on the opening lap of the race. By lap 28, he was in P5. Then, the Dutchman made a risky call to stay out on intermediate tires while 3 rivals in front pitted, which put him into P2.
This call paid off when the red flag was triggered on lap 32. On lap 43 the Red Bull Racing driver made his way past Estaban Ocon to take the lead of the race, which he hasn't lost since that point.
Max Verstappen overtaking Esteban Ocon on lap 43
Ultimately, he crossed the finish line in P1, 19.477 seconds ahead of everyone. Speaking to the media during the official FIA press conference after the Grand Prix, Verstappen said:
"Yeah, I mean, my emotions today have been a roller coaster, you know, with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag."
"You know, starting P17, I knew that it was going to be a very tough race, but we stayed out of trouble. We made the right calls."
"We stayed calm. And we were flying. So all of these things together, of course, made that result possible. But I mean, unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid!"
Asked whether he saw the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix as the pivotal moment in the Championship, as he extended his lead to 62 points with just three race weekends to go, Verstappen replied:
"I mean, this was now, of course, looking at it, it was incredibly important because in a way I was expecting to lose points today."
"So from now, I just want clean races to the end. I'm not thinking about clinching the championship in Vegas or whatever. I just want clean races."
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