Max Verstappen believes he could have matched Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing opening-lap charge at Interlagos had he not compromised his getaway with a sluggish reaction when the lights went out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver produced another trademark exhibition of overtaking in Brazil, climbing from 21st on the grid to an extraordinary second place at the chequered flag.
Yet even amid a spectacular recovery drive, Verstappen was left wondering what might have been after watching Hamilton slice through the field at an even faster rate during the opening lap.
Starting just one sport ahead of the Dutchman, Hamilton stormed from 20th to ninth on lap 1, while Verstappen concluded the latter 13th. The four-time world champion eventually dispatched his former title rival on lap 3, but conceded that a mistake at the start had initially cost him valuable ground.
A compromised getaway, then a spectacular charge
Verstappen revealed that an error in his clutch positioning had left him slow to react when the lights went out, forcing him to adjust his launch at precisely the wrong moment.
"To be honest, I had a very slow reaction time off the line because I was holding the clutch wrong, so I had to react very quickly," he explained.
"Then I was slow off the line, and that was my mistake. But then I just got a bit unlucky in the first three corners, where it was just like a traffic jam. There were three or four cars in front, blocking basically how much I could pass.
“Actually, Lewis had a very good first lap. He could really get through those cars, so I was a little bit disappointed that I couldn't make the same headway.
"But then, within two laps, I was just flying by cars, almost every corner. We had a lot more grip, I guess, than most in the midfield. I don't know what lap I was in the top 10, but it all happened very quickly."
The Dutchman's subsequent progress was nothing short of ferocious. Once clear of the opening-lap congestion, he exploited the superior grip of his Red Bull to pick off midfield rivals with remarkable ease, turning what had threatened to be a recovery drive hampered by traffic into a relentless march towards the front.
Interlagos has become a particularly happy hunting ground for Verstappen's comeback exploits.
He won from 17th in 2024, reached the podium after starting from the pit lane last year and, this time, produced another stunning charge despite an unexpected power unit problem having forced him to start from the very back.
Mekies admits Verstappen is rewriting the script
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was understandably impressed by his driver's ability to make a mockery of pre-race predictions that overtaking would be more difficult at Interlagos this season.
Asked whether Verstappen had once again disproved the conventional wisdom about passing opportunities at the Brazilian venue, the Frenchman pointed to the extraordinary gap between computer simulations and the Dutchman's real-world performances.
"As always,” he said. "I think no sim in the world will predict that you go from P21 to P2, or that you get 14 places in five laps; there is no sim able to do that. So he's beating the sim on a regular basis."
Verstappen's confidence in the treacherous conditions was another decisive ingredient in his recovery.
Rather than simply following conventional racing lines, the Red Bull driver searched for grip wherever he could find it, using the circuit's varied layout to attack rivals from unexpected angles.
"I felt comfortable with the car, confident, just trying to find the grip in different places," he said.
"Then the car is ahead of me, so I try to pass them. This track, of course, also allows you to do different lines, which I think is great because it really helps the racing.
Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix"It's a good track in the dry and wet, and that really sets up more overtaking opportunities. You need to feel good in the car. You need to feel comfortable to be able to risk probably a little bit more, and it's been working for me quite well here."
Had his clutch mistake not compromised his launch, Verstappen clearly believes he might have matched Hamilton’s initial surge – and perhaps made an already remarkable Brazilian recovery even more spectacular.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via X and Facebook
Verstappen explains why he couldn’t match Hamilton’s lap 1 blitz F1i.com.
Hence then, the article about verstappen explains why he couldn t match hamilton s lap 1 blitz was published today ( ) and is available on F1 News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Verstappen explains why he couldn’t match Hamilton’s lap 1 blitz )
Also on site :