Verstappen Expecting 'Very Close' Race After Red-Flagged Qualifying Hit By 'Insane Weather'

Saturday, 04 November 2023 at 03:00

Red Bull Racing F1 driver Max Verstappen suggested he expects a close race after the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying at Interlagos Circuit.

Max Verstappen won the Friday qualification in Sao Paulo, making an important step towards securing his seventeenth win of the season 2023.

It wasn't so clear, on the other hand, whether Verstappen will be able to snatch the first place. Throughout the practice session, we have seen multiple teams on a very similar level.

All the top teams - Mercedes, Aston Martin, McLaren, and Ferrari showed very good qualifying pace, though in the end, the Flying Dutchman managed to secure pole position before a storm hit the circuit.

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The three-time World Champion told Sky Sports F1 he expects a "very close" race after the qualifying session. He also mentioned bumpy Interlagos Circuit will be tough on tires.

"It seems that it's all very close, so you can see that already in qualifying. I expect the same also in the race around here. There's always quite a lot of deg from the tires."

After being beaten by the Mercedes team that scored a one-two in both races of the weekend last year, Red Bull analyzed what went wrong, and Verstappen feels more confident now.

"So it's all about that management, and last year we didn't get that right, but I think we will be better this year."

The massive storm that hit the track just at the end of the qualifying had a significant influence on the final results. Almost all drivers mentioned they were not happy with their laps at all.

"We didn’t know when it would hit in qualifying. We thought it would hit, but this is insane weather. Charles and I were just discussing, our laps, they felt terrible but I don’t know."

The tricky conditions did not stop Verstappen from achieving yet another pole position. On Sunday, he will also get a chance to extend his record for the most wins from pole in a single season from 10 to 11.