No computer model in the world could have predicted what Max Verstappen pulled off at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Starting all the way back from 21st on the grid, the Dutchman put in an extraordinary charge through the field to finish in second place, capping off a superb race for Red Bull Racing that also saw Isack Hadjar secure a solid third.
What made the recovery so wild was that Verstappen had actually cautioned beforehand that passing would not be as straightforward with the 2026 cars as it had previously been at Interlagos. Yet he somehow found the performance anyway, even while making it quite clear over the radio that he was far from happy with the balance of the RB22 once they switched to dry tyres, and again when they returned to inters near the end.
Team Principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that his star driver simply broke the team's pre-race expectations. As Mekies pointed out, no simulation predicts a drive from 21st to 2nd, or gaining 14 places in just five laps, meaning Verstappen beats the sim on a regular basis.
The setback of starting at the back was entirely unplanned, stemming from a small issue on Friday that forced Red Bull to take their first power unit penalty of the weekend. Mekies admitted it was frustrating given the strong pace shown on Friday, Saturday morning, and in Q1 when they let him qualify, though he noted it is simply part of the game in the first year with the new power unit.
Even so, Mekies conceded that beating race winner Lando Norris and McLaren might have been a stretch even from the front. Assessing the pace, the Frenchman acknowledged that McLaren seemed generally faster, noting that they brought another fair bit of upgrade to the weekend. Red Bull still needs to analyze whether the time loss from Verstappen's unhappy car balance would have been enough to mount a real fight against McLaren.
During his climb, Verstappen received a helpful hand when Hadjar let him through. Mekies explained that the team initially considered swapping the positions back if the cars stayed close together, as Hadjar maintained very strong pace. However, as the race unfolded and the rain returned, the cars drifted too far apart, and with the rain intensity increasing at the end, a switch no longer made sense. Mekies praised both drivers for working strongly together to deliver the result.
For Hadjar, missing out on finishing ahead of his teammate was a minor disappointment in what was ultimately his best race with the team in terms of pure pace. Mekies highlighted the youngster's clever racing on both dries and inters in super difficult conditions, noting that Hadjar continues to raise the bar—the exact reason Red Bull confirmed him for '27.
With McLaren taking victory just a week after Ferrari fought for the win, Mekies pointed to this as proof of how fiercely competitive the front of the grid has become, with four top teams evenly matched under restrictive regulations. Seeing the top five in qualifying separated by just two-tenths and arriving at a weekend not knowing which of the four teams will win is, in his view, a fantastic place for the sport to be.
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