Verstappen and Red Bull's perfectionism still produces the fastest car

18:30, 10 Nov

Updated: 18:37, 10 Nov

byTim Kraaij

It was all-or-nothing for Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen in Brazil. After a poor qualifying result, it seemed like there would be little in the way of points being scored in Sunday's Grand Prix, but in their relentless strive for perfection, the team left Sao Paulo with a smile.

After qualifying, Red Bull really seemed to have completely lost its way. After a sprint qualifying and sprint race performance that at best could be described as average, the team fell backwards in qualifying for the main race.

The team's strength has been its ability to build on its performance over a GP weekend, refinements in each session to help bring down lap time. But there was something wrong in Brazil that delivered an abnormality in the form of a Verstappen exit in Q1. The Dutchman, who has impressed round Interlagos in the past, was adrift and at a loss.

In the media conferences, the reasoning was how Verstappen no longer felt comfortable with the Mexico configuration of the RB21, which is why he wanted to revert to the specification used in Austin.

Red Bull advised him otherwise, but ultimately went along with the four-time world champion’s choice, as it had done in recent races, trusting the racer's instincts rather than the data. However, it proved to be the wrong decision.

The RB21 has a very narrow operating window in which it performs optimally, and, given the fast-paced nature of sprint weekends and a lack of free practice, the gamble had backfired and Verstappen was looking at ending the week without a podium and harming his world championship hopes.

Verstappen the fastest man in São Paulo

However, Red Bull's decision to revert to is original plan resulted in an upturn in performance that unfortunately for Verstappen, just came too late.

Race winner Lando Norris named Verstappen the fastest man of the day, as the speedy Red Bull saw him power through the grid to go to third. Just 12 months ago, he had done something similar, going from 17th to first in arguable one of his best ever performances. This time the victory eluded him.

Nonetheless, a reason to celebrate, but Gianpiero Lambiase offered his apologies, after the race. The race engineer felt that such a performance deserved a win, but that the team had squandered that chance in qualifying with its technical gamble.

Verstappen’s response said it all: “No, that’s not necessary. That was a really good race for us. At least we did our best. Thank you very much for today, it went really well.”

Gianpiero Lambiase offered his apologies - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen's ability to get the most out of a bad weekend is a testament to his tenacious character. A mentality of never giving up. He could have settled for a midtable finish, but that is in neither his, nor Red Bull's DNA and precisely why that perfectionism that has brought Verstappen and Red Bull so much success.

It underlines the team's ability to react. To pivot and get the best out of any situation - unlike the majority of their rivals on the grid. He might have a 49-point deficit in the title race, and only three race weekends to go, however, you still cannot rule out Verstappen and Red Bull when they pull off unexpected results like this.

And that all bodes well for the future, as Laurent Mekies' leadership has continued to deliver impressive performances, even if the results have not always been obvious. The destiny of the drivers' world championship is not in Verstappen's hands, but when he has results like - where he is able to conjure up podiums from nothing - then he remains a threat until it is mathematically impossible for him to win a fifth title.

GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.