I should qualify that he said this before he’d taken the first Scandinavian pole position in F1 since Ronnie Peterson at Österreichring in 1978! Proving his point, he didn’t try any heroics racing faster Mercedes, Red Bulls or Ferraris, prioritising minimum loss of race time in pursuit of what he viewed as a realistic target – a single point. Which is exactly what he got. Or, as Sky’s Ted Kravitz so wittily put it, “In the words of his namesake, Magnus, that’s one point and seven passes for Kevin.” With apologies if you don’t date as far back as Magnus Magnussen and Mastermind…
Interlagos, actually, was the poorest example of Verstappen’s reservations since the sprint began, giving us the most entertaining version yet, with multiple overtakes throughout the field. But that was down to a mixed-up grid due to the variable conditions of qualifying, allied to the track layout itself.
Mercedes took a 1-3 on Interlagos Saturday
Grand Prix Photo
The long, curving drag up the hill from Juncão corner, across the start-finish line and into the Senna Esses, then down the following straight into Turn 4, guarantees action. Even if a driver manages to defend into Turn 1, he’s often slower on exit, and vulnerable. Add in DRS and it’s enough to allow Lewis Hamilton to start the sprint race at the back and end up winning the main race, as he did in 2021.
George Russell and Verstappen crossed swords in a three-lap duel, before the Dutchman then struggled to hang on as his tyres faded and others lying in wait took advantage, whilst midfield skimrishes such as those between the Aston Martin pair topped up the entertainment.
