Verstappen lays down marker for 2027 with another back-to-front drive at Brazilian Grand Prix

In 2024, Max Verstappen won in Brazil, starting 17th on the grid. A year later, he finished third despite starting from the pit lane. And this time, he converted 21st place into a second-place finish.

Updated : Nov 12, 2026 14:47 IST , Chennai - 4 MINS READ

Three wins in the final three races would take his tally to 350 points, his lowest since 2020. But if the team continues to improve its current development cycle, Max Verstappen could be the main challenger to the Mercedes pair.  | Photo Credit: AP

Three things remain constant at every Brazilian Grand Prix: tributes to the beloved Ayrton Senna, intense wheel-to-wheel action and Max Verstappen mounting a back-to-front recovery drive.

For the third consecutive edition, Verstappen charged through the field at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace to finish on the podium.

In 2024, he won another rain-marred race after starting 17th on the grid. A year later, he finished third despite starting from the pit lane. This time, he converted 21st place into a second-place finish.

From P21 to the podium... 🤯📈 Enjoy the very best of another INSANE Interlagos drive by the incomparable Max Verstappen 🦁 #F1 #BrazilGP https://t.co/W3cfrseT6N

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 9, 2026

Recovery drives through the field generally take place with a tyre offset in high-grip conditions. What made Verstappen’s foray through the pack more impressive was that all the cars began the race on intermediate tyres, with the track still wet from an earlier downpour.

By the end of Lap 5, the four-time champion had surged to eighth. “I think the first few laps, of course, were very important. I overtook a lot of cars, and actually, that first stint, I think on the intermediates, was really, really strong,” Verstappen said after the race.

The Dutchman was, however, unhappy with his car’s balance, which he indicates scuppered him from challenging Lando Norris for the win. He eventually finished more than 14 seconds behind the 2025 world champion.

“Once I got into P2, I couldn’t really make any inroads. So we have to understand what went wrong there. I don’t know if we picked up some kind of damage because the car felt like the complete opposite to anything that I’ve felt the whole weekend, with some really weird balance,” he explained.

Max Verstappen produced a remarkable recovery drive to finish on the podium for the third consecutive Brazilian Grand Prix. | Photo Credit: AP

Fighting back

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix marked Verstappen’s eighth consecutive podium and his 10th in 11 races. He is now second in the drivers’ standings, 17 points ahead of George Russell. All this in a car that was, for much of the year, the fourth-fastest on the grid.

The FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) measurements rated Red Bull Powertrains as the best-performing combustion engine on the grid this year. However, that classification did not translate into on-track performance for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Verstappen had complained about the car’s oversteer throughout the season. High tyre degradation further affected the race pace. The team recovered some performance in medium- and high-speed corners through its mid-season upgrade package in Austria.

But with four retirements in the first half of the season, Verstappen was never really in contention for the drivers’ title, particularly with Kimi Antonelli blazing to the championship lead with five consecutive wins.

Right on track

After the back-and-forth with the pit wall earlier in the season, Verstappen seems to have settled into his sweet spot. His confidence in the car is at its peak.

During the 90-minute break at the start of qualifying in Brazil, the Dutchman said he was more invested in the Premier League matches, knowing he would start from the back of the grid. Verstappen bringing out this laid-back demeanour augurs well for Red Bull.

Three wins in the final three races would take his tally to 350 points, his lowest since 2020. But if the team continues to improve its current development cycle, Verstappen could be the main challenger to the Mercedes pair.

Red Bull has the best driver on the grid. After extended speculation linking him with the Silver Arrows, the team has tied him down to a contract until 2030. Now the ball is in the engineers’ court to give him the tools to fight for a fifth championship.

Published on Nov 12, 2026

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