Verstappen Criticizes “Worse” Track Surface Amid Grid Penalty and Red Bull’s Sprint Qualifying Woes
Max Verstappen had a frustrating day at Interlagos, criticizing the newly resurfaced track for worsening Red Bull’s handling issues ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix. The famed circuit was repaved before this year’s race weekend, but instead of improving conditions, the changes have introduced severe bumps, hampering drivers’ ability to maintain control during fast laps.
Oscar Piastri, who clinched pole for Saturday’s Sprint, highlighted the challenge: “It was hard enough to see where you’re going, let alone trying to do a fast lap.” Verstappen, who qualified fourth, echoed similar concerns, feeling from his first lap that pole position was out of reach. “They did the resurfacing, but I think they actually made it worse to drive,” Verstappen noted. “It’s extremely bumpy everywhere; that’s not good for our car. The car is jumping around a lot, and it’s costing me quite a bit of lap time, unfortunately.”
The Dutchman, who leads the Drivers’ Championship by 47 points over Lando Norris, now faces a tough weekend. Red Bull’s race pace has been lagging, and qualifying fourth—nearly three-tenths behind Norris—adds to the challenge. Verstappen’s struggles will continue into Sunday, as he also faces a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, leaving him with “a bit more work to do.”
On the other side of the Red Bull garage, Sergio Perez faced a challenging session of his own. Exiting in SQ2, Perez missed his final run due to a timing error and reported issues with understeer and brake balance, compounding his difficulties. “We had a little bit of understeer with the track [temperature] coming down,” Perez explained, adding that last-minute adjustments left him “too rear-limited.”
As McLaren dominates the front row with Piastri and Norris, Red Bull finds itself on the back foot at Interlagos. With unpredictable weather looming, Verstappen hopes for rain to level the playing field, while Perez faces an uphill battle from 13th on the grid in the Sprint. For Verstappen, the bumpy surface at Interlagos has added yet another challenge to what could be a crucial weekend in his title defense.
