Max Verstappen has admitted that his Red Bull looked to be “definitely off” as soon as Sprint Qualifying got under way at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the Dutchman having a mixed session en route to fourth, while Sergio Perez faced an early exit after a “confusing” mix-up with his programme.
As McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris claimed the front row following an impressive outing for the Woking squad, Verstappen had to settle for P4 behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and explained after the session that his car had not felt at ease on the newly resurfaced track.
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“As soon as we went into qualifying it looked like we were definitely off,” said Verstappen. “Our car, [it was] a bit difficult on the bumps – they did the resurfacing but I think they actually made it worse to drive!
“It’s extremely bumpy everywhere, so that’s not good for our car. So all the bumpy areas, the car’s jumping around a lot and it’s costing me quite a bit of lap time unfortunately.”
Reflecting on his prospects for the Sprint – a format in which Verstappen has good form, having claimed victory during the previous four events in 2024 – the reigning world champion commented: “For tomorrow I don’t know.
