Max Verstappen, from pitlane to podium, class and thrill all the way
From pitlane to the podium, this was one masterclass from Max Verstappen in his famous Red Bull which showed, come what may, he will maximise efforts at the wheels. There in a zing in the air at the Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix, which is so steeped in history since the days of Late Ayrton Senna. Perhaps, even the departed soul would have enjoyed the kind of adrenaline-felted performance Verstappen turned in, after he had been put in one of the most difficult positions to start from. Any other racer may have just kissed even the minutest chance a goodbye and rued his bad luck. No, not Max, all daring and speed as he finished third on the podium, tearing prediction charts to shreds on Sunday.
This is not the first time Max has done something so bold and beautiful, for he had started 17th last year at the same Formula One GP and then sealed victory. Over the weekend, Max Verstappen’s beast was not in best shape. The flavour of the 2025 F1 season has been Lando Norris, who is now in pole position to emerge as World Champion this year.
Fine, that’s good, a twist to the Formula One sequence where some complained they had got bored seeing Max emerge, repeatedly, as the champion, year after year. One has to feel sorry for such folks who cannot understand what it is to see a champion bring out the best as his own skills and from the car to ‘kill’ the field.
The commentators screaming on air, as well as those who watched the Sunday race, full of thrill and spill, saw crazy stuff happening for Max, including a sequence of punctures, storm the field in his ubiquitous way. "To be on the podium from the pit lane I didn't expect that at all, even with a puncture as well at the beginning of the race," said Max Verstappen. "That is why we had to box again, so an incredible result and I'm very happy with that."
For seasoned star Damon Hill who watched the race taking place in Sao Paulo, and then posting on X, it reflected the joy of watching one of the greatest drives in the history of F1. “Another brilliant Brazilian GP. Love that track. Brazilians love their F1 too. But just amazing from Max. A Sennaesque drive from the pit lane to the podium, puncture, four stops…” said Hill on his X handle.
It is interesting what the mindset of Max Verstappen is, knowing fully well the 2025 season has been poor. Unlike overhyped Lewis Hamilton, whose performances, or the lack of it for Ferrari this season have been glaring, Max has not cursed the “package” which the Red Bull has come up with. It has been below par in 2025 but nothing can be done about it. What is interesting and important to understand is the champion mindset of Max -- he is not giving up. To win the overall drivers’ championship is one thing. But to keep the racing juices flowing even in adversity tells you so much about his hunger and will to battle.’
“We lost already way too many points in the beginning of the season to the middle of the season. That we were in that up until now already was quite a surprise, but we have to be realistic, over the whole season we haven't been good enough,” summed up Max.
There are three more Grand Prix to go through in the 2025 season – Las Vegas, Qatar and the finale in Abu Dhabi. Here is hoping Max will provide more joy to fans who love such adrenaline stuff.
