Max Verstappen exclaimed that just because he won in stunning fashion in the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, it’s not as if “suddenly everything is fixed” with Red Bull’s issues.
Verstappen came into the Sao Paulo GP in a 10-race winless streak, with Red Bull struggling with balance and race pace issues.
Cue a stunning drive from 17th on the grid to victory at a searing wet Interalgos circuit.
The victory has put Verstappen within touching distance of a fourth successive title and he can get the job done in Las Vegas if he outscores McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Still, the Red Bull ace isn’t willing to count his chickens before they’ve hatched.
“At the moment, it’s difficult to tell, because if you look at the last few races, in the dry, of course, we didn’t have the pace,” Verstappen told select media including Motorsport Week on Wednesday.
“It’s not that because we won in the rain in Brazil, suddenly everything is fixed and everything is looking great.
“Of course, it gave me a good position in the championship, but I also have to be realistic that we’re still not the quickest.
“I hope that we can be competitive here. It’s still very unknown with the track temperatures, of course, like last year, very cold.”
Verstappen still feeling ‘pressure’ despite title number four drawing near
Verstappen is all but guaranteed a fourth title in succession with his crowning moment likely to come in Las Vegas or Qatar.
However, this doesn’t mean that the pressure is off the Dutchman, who is demanding positive results from himself and Red Bull on a race-by-race basis.
“I mean the pressure is I want to always do well every single weekend,” he said.
“It is not necessarily about the championship. I am just trying to enjoy the weekend as well, try to see how competitive we can be.
“The championship is not decided yet so there are still points that need to be scored.
“It depends on how quick I am. It is more related to how good the car is than anything else.”
With that being said, Verstappen tipped McLaren and Ferrari to fare well at Las Vegas this weekend.
“I mean the last few races McLaren has been the quickest but last year Ferrari was very fast there,” he explained.
“But again every year it can be a bit different. You know how cars perform. Other teams also brought a lot of upgrades compared to how they ran the car last year so it is a bit difficult to say at the moment.”
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