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Max Verstappen’s Brazilian Grand Prix became a study in recovery. From a pitlane start, via an early puncture, to a late pass on George Russell for third, the champion turned a broken Saturday into a potent Sunday. Over the radio after the flag, race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase summed up the mood with an unguarded apology. Verstappen, typically, refused to dwell on blame.
From P16 to a plan that worked
The spiral began with a miserable qualifying, Verstappen complaining of no grip and no obvious fixes. Red Bull made the call to change power unit elements and adjust the set-up, accepting a pitlane start to unlock a car he could actually lean on. Once the lights went out the difference was obvious. Even after the puncture, Verstappen rebuilt his race with steady, measured overtakes and strong pace in clean air. The final act, taking third from Russell, felt inevitable rather than dramatic.
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The exchange that said everything
On cooldown Lambiase came on first. “We can only say sorry for yesterday, mate. That was a race-winning drive today, sorry.” Verstappen’s reply was immediate and generous. “No need to say sorry. This was a really, really good race for us. We tried, and it worked. Thank you for today.” The words mattered because of the weekend that preceded them. This was driver and team acknowledging a misstep, then reinforcing trust by how they responded.
In a season where the title may be getting away, days like Interlagos are the proof of concept that still counts. Verstappen’s standard has not shifted. Nor, crucially, has Red Bull’s appetite to make bold choices in service of performance.
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