SAO PAULO.- The four-time world champion Formula 1, Max Verstappenof Red Bullsaid that he no longer believes it is possible to win the title this year, after being eliminated this Saturday in the first round of the classification (16th) of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
“I can forget about that,” admitted the 28-year-old Dutchman, when asked by journalists about his chances of winning his fifth title in a row with four races left until the end of the season.
“Really?” replied the reporter who questioned him at first. “Of course,” Mad Max replied. “Considering where we’re starting from on Sunday, it’s not going to be possible. With this kind of performance, I can forget about it.”
A few hours after limiting the damage by finishing fourth in the sprint race in Sao Paulo, the Dutchman was helpless in the first part of the classification, in which he recorded the sixteenth time, driving a car that seemed to completely lack grip.
39 points behind Lando Norris, championship leader and winner of the sprint race and pole in Brazil, Verstappen could see this gap widen even further on Sunday during the Grand Prix, unless a new miracle like the one in 2024 occurs.
A year ago, in dantesque and rainy conditions, the Dutchman started in seventeenth position, won the GP and dealt a fatal blow to McLaren’s Norris’s hopes of becoming champion.
But no rain is expected on Sunday at the Interlagos circuit nor is there any solidity in the Red Bull car, which considerably reduces their chances of a comeback.
“It was very bad. I couldn’t push at all, the car was skidding everywhere. I had to lift my foot so as not to risk going off the track and obviously that can’t work when it comes to qualifying,” Verstappen told Sky Sports television channel.
“It’s not what you want to see. The whole weekend has been pretty tough, but this… this is a little unexpected after changing quite a lot (the configuration of the) car (…) that just didn’t respond. It didn’t have grip, so I had to drive way below normal,” he added to reporters.
The consequence of taking risks
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies admitted to having taken risks that ultimately led to this poor performance.
“Obviously no one expected this (…) We were in a position where we couldn’t fight for victory, but we could compete with the group right behind,” the Frenchman told Sky Sports.
“We took more risks before qualifying to try to see if we could improve the car’s position, but it clearly had the opposite effect,” he acknowledged. “Sometimes this is the price to pay when taking risks; things may not always go in our favor. It is painful, but it is an experience from which we can learn and improve.”
This season, Verstappen, third in the drivers’ world championship, had always reached Q3, the third and final part of the classification.
His worst result until this Saturday was eighth place on the grid in Hungary, while he had achieved no less than seven pole positions.
