Red Bull’s favourite radio bromance was back on air in São Paulo, and this time it came with heartfelt apologies, a hint of guilt and a dash of classic Verstappen stoicism. Gianpiero Lambiase, who has spent years deciphering Verstappen’s mutterings during races and his “leave me alone, I know what I’m doing” tone, repented over the team radio after the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The engineer’s confession came after watching Verstappen wrestle his RB21 from the pit lane to third place. The result forced the Red Bull engineer to feel that an apology was required.
“I can only apologise for yesterday, mate,” said Lambiase, sounding like a man who had accidentally set fire to the family dinner. ‘This was a race where you could have won. Sorry.”
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He was apparently referring to Saturday’s qualifying session, which was such a disaster that it made the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix look organised. Verstappen, the four-time world champion and habitual pole-position collector, somehow managed to qualify in 16th place, a result that sent Red Bull’s data analysts into an existential crisis.
However, Max, ever the picture of calm maturity (and mild sarcasm), brushed off the apology as though he were forgiving a waiter for dropping his dessert.
“No, you don’t have to,” he replied. “This was a really good race for us. We’re at least trying, you know. Thanks a lot for today, that went really well.”
The recovery drive was, by Verstappen’s standards, only slightly less impressive than parting the Red Sea. Starting from the pit lane, he made his way through the field with his usual precision, overtaking other cars so cleanly that the stewards probably wondered if their screens were glitching.
By the chequered flag, he was standing on the podium, a symbol of ‘damage limitation’ that still somehow managed to look like victory.
However, in the ruthless world of points and politics, a podium finish isn’t quite enough. Verstappen lost thirteen points over the sprint weekend but clawed back a few when Oscar Piastri was handed a ten-second time penalty. Ultimately, however, he handed Lando Norris a gift-wrapped boost in the championship standings. Norris now leads the title fight with 390 points, ahead of Piastri’s 366 and Verstappen’s 341.
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Lando Norris has gone from being a “nice guy with bad luck” to a title favourite
Norris’s victory in Brazil was more than just a feel-good story. It was a coronation of sorts, with many saying he now has at least one hand on the title. Against all odds, the Briton secured victory in style, with Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli completing the podium. George Russell finished fourth and close, but still firmly in Mercedes’ favourite position of ‘nearly there, not quite’.
With a 24-point lead over Piastri, Norris is the clear favourite to win the title heading into the final three rounds.
Despite his heroics, Verstappen looks set to play catch-up. However, if there’s one thing Formula 1 has taught us, it’s that you can never count Max Verstappen out, just like you can’t underestimate a hurricane just because it looks “a bit smaller this year”. Bear in mind, Verstappen had over 100 point deficit to the leader at one point this season.
Meanwhile, Ferrari chose Brazil to unveil its new performance package, dubbed “Double DNF 2.0”. Something the Ferrari Chairman, John Elkann, was not happy about, publicly lambasting his drivers today at an event.
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz retired, continuing the Scuderia’s proud tradition of turning race weekends into emotional rollercoasters. Their fans may soon need a loyalty card for heartbreak.
The updated standings paint a fascinating picture
When asked how much of Verstappen’s recovery was due to the new power unit, Mekies was evasive.
“It’s difficult to quantify,” he said, though the grin on his face likely did the maths for him. Verstappen was flying: smooth, consistent and free of the vibrations that had plagued his older engine.
‘The extra speed from a new engine usually doesn’t outweigh a grid penalty,” Mekies admitted. “But this time, there wasn’t one.” Indeed, by starting from the pit lane, Red Bull avoided punishment entirely while enjoying the benefits of fresh hardware. Depending on your perspective, it was either a masterstroke or a cheeky exploitation of the rulebook’s grey areas.
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s comments added further fuel to McLaren’s fire. “The car just felt perfect again,” he said after the race. This is great news for him, but not so much for those who suspect Red Bull may have slipped one past the stewards.
Counting the Costs
Red Bull’s accounting department might soon have to justify the expense. The team is expected to include engine costs in its end-of-season budget report to the FIA, though it remains to be seen whether this particular replacement will be included. Mekies’s casual ‘we were on schedule’ remark suggests it wasn’t part of a long-term reliability plan.
Nevertheless, Red Bull may have the spare cash. While McLaren’s Oscar Piastri has spent recent months testing the strength of carbon fibre into barriers, Red Bull has enjoyed a relatively accident-free run.
Fewer crashes mean fewer repair bills, and perhaps more room under the cap for a little engine indulgence. Meanwhile, Ferrari has been spending like a demolition derby contestant, and Mercedes continues its tradition of saving money by not winning anything.
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A Familiar Red Bull Dance
Once again, Red Bull is accused of bending the spirit, if not the letter, of Formula 1’s regulations. And, once again, they appear largely unbothered. They claim this was all part of a carefully managed plan, which they just happened to execute after Verstappen’s worst qualifying session in years.
For McLaren, the frustration is understandable. They have clawed their way into contention, only to find that the reigning driver champion and his Red Bull team are still capable of pulling a fast one — quite literally — when it matters most.
As for the FIA, they now face the unenviable task of interpreting an agreement that doesn’t yet exist, all the while pretending that everyone involved is acting in good faith. In Formula 1, that’s about as likely as a Red Bull apology.
So, was it a clever use of the rules, or a cheeky abuse of them? That, dear jury, is up to you. One thing is certain: if there’s a loophole in Formula 1, Red Bull will find it, exploit it, and set a new lap record.
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MORE F1 NEWS – Stella reveals Piastri achilles heel struck again in Brazil
McLaren’s team boss Andrea Stella has been repeating a narrative to explain why his Australian driver struggled so much in Austin and Mexico City. He claims Oscar Piastri’s driving style hampers him when the track conditions are low grip.
The team had encouraged him to adapt his driving style to resolve the issue in Mexico, although Oscar was unsure of how well the experiment had gone. “It’s difficult to say ultimately, I think we certainly tried a lot of different things, but at the back with cars as well, so it was difficult to kind of get a read on whether what I was changing with my driving was working that well or not,” Piastri said in the media pen.
The problem for the McLaren driver is that Las Vegas is next on the F1 calendar where the cold desert night temperatures will again see little grip in Sin City. The team’s expectations for Brazil were much higher for their young driver as the surface in Sao Paulo is abrasive often creating high tyre degradation.
São Paulo circuit more abrasive
And this year the degradation of the rubber was expected to be even higher,. Given the thousands of grooves cut into the track surface to improve drainage after 2024’s rain soaked Grand Prix. This is why Pirelli brought tyre compounds a step harder than last year, an unusual step given they have been generally selecting compounds this season which are softer to promote more pit stops.
It all began so well for the Australian who hasn’t been on the podium since his win in Zandvoort, he was milli seconds behind his team mate in practice with Lando Norris topping the time sheets. Yet come Sprint qualifying the two tenths gap to his team mate re-appeared and it is this which has defined much of Oscar’s woes in recent race weekend.
The Sprint was a disaster for Piastri again as early in the race as he pushed harder he hit the kerb in turn two by mistake, sending his McLaren hurtling into the barrier amidst showers of carbon fibre. He could only make P4 in Grand Prix qualifying and was now almost three tenths away from Norris who claimed his sixth pole position of the season…READ MORE
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