Here's the thing, Max Verstappen is staring down a massive mountain to climb at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver has amassed a hefty 30 places worth of penalties after exceeding his season allocation for the Internal Combustion Engine, Turbo Charger, and Exhaust. He is not alone in taking hits this weekend, joining both Ferrari drivers and Mercedes driver George Russell on the penalty list.
Saturday's session brought proper challenges with heavy rain delaying the start, but the four-time World Champion navigated the tricky conditions to get through Q1. Once that box was ticked, the team parked the machine and opted not to run in Q2, leaving him with a P16 classification on the timesheets. Combined with the engine drops, that reality leaves him all the way back in second-to-last place in P21 for the start.
I mean, we saw an issue and we decided to take the penalty here. Maybe it’s the best place to take it, but who knows,
Speaking after the session, Verstappen made it clear that the strategy was purely about survival rather than chasing glory in qualifying. “I know that I have to start from the back, so we don’t want to take too much risk and [we] just put a lap on the board in Q1,” Verstappen explained. “And yeah, that’s what we did.”
When questioned on why the team chose Interlagos to swallow the punishment, the Red Bull charger pointed to a mechanical issue that forced their hand. “I mean, we saw an issue and we decided to take the penalty here. Maybe it’s the best place to take it, but who knows,” he said.
Looking back, the Dutch racer famously pulled off a stunning drive through the spray during a rain-hit race in Sao Paulo back in 2024, slicing his way from P17 all the way to victory. Whether lightning can strike twice remains to be seen, but the target now is simply to push forward and enjoy the fight. “We’ll see tomorrow how far we can move up to the front. [We’ll] try and have a bit of fun out there,” Verstappen added.
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