Max Verstappen has revealed he nearly attempted to “destroy” the Red Bull garage after qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old put on a sublime display to bring his RB20 through the field in treacherous conditions at Interlagos, taking victory from P17 on the grid.
Misfortune and a grid penalty for a power unit change afforded the three-time drivers’ champion the opportunity to deliver arguably the greatest win of his 62-grand prix victories.
Verstappen was caught out by a red flag during Q2 of the re-scheduled Sunday morning qualifying session, which initially left him P12 on the grid.
It was a series of events that left the Dutchman fuming. In particular, he was angered by the 40 seconds it took the stewards to upgrade Lance Stroll’s crash from double-waved yellows to red.
However, after his penalty was applied, he seized the chance to become the first F1 driver to win from P17 on the grid since Kimi Raikkonen at the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix.
“I don’t even know where to start, because my emotions today have been from almost trying to destroy the garage to winning the race,” he told media including RacingNews365 after the stunning performance.
“Starting P17, I knew that we could have a good race, but in qualifying, I think it was quite clear that there was only one line that you could take, so I knew that overtaking was going to be quite tough.”
‘It almost felt like I was driving a boat’
The grand prix itself was far from a straight-forward affair. Tricky and changeable weather conditions caused multiple disruptions, including a critical red flag and safety car period.
Having worked his way up to the lower reaches of the points, Verstappen stayed out then those ahead pitted. When Franco Colapinto triggered a full race stoppage, the Red Bull driver was handed a free pit stop.
Then, after Carlos Sainz crashed out, he beat race-leader Esteban Ocon down to into the first corner at the restart.
“We had a good start, that helped already,” Verstappen said, reflecting on the win. “We had a good first lap.
“From there, we just picked [off] a few drivers here and there, and then I got a little bit stuck behind the train of Yuki [Tsunoda]I think.
“We just stayed calm, was still a very long race, and we made the right calls – some pitted, the rain was coming, we stayed out, which was very sketchy.
“And then Esteban [Ocon] in front of me flying, like four seconds a lap faster. I was like: ‘I’m just happy to keep the car on the track’.
“At one point, it was just red, we needed a red flag. It was just undriveable.
“Even on extreme tyres, it would have not been possible because of the banking of the track here – it’s filling up very quickly, and it almost felt like I was driving a boat… a jet ski… definitely have more cornering speed on a jet ski.”
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