As a Formula 1 driver, Karun Chandhok did not break too many holes, but with his technical background he does have the right knowledge on board to assess the formidable performance of Max Verstappen from Brazil. The Indian places Verstappen’s victory from seventeenth in a special list with three other greats, and saw a comparison with the performance of the Red Bull Racing driver from 2023 in Japan.
In 2023, Verstappen won ten more races in a row. That series came to an end in Singapore, where Red Bull had a very difficult time. After one technical directive It was therefore quickly said that Red Bull had previously been operating illegally. This pushed the wrong buttons for Verstappen, and the Limburger ended the weekend with a warning: in Japan he would win by twenty seconds. The world champion was disappointed the following weekend that the final score was only 19.4 seconds.
Verstappen was also annoyed in Brazil, after a lot of fuss about his driving style in the days leading up to the weekend. In addition, some questionable decisions did not help the mood of the 27-year-old, who admitted to having been angry. A few hours later the final result was on the boards: 19.477 seconds ahead of Esteban Ocon. Statement madeChandhok also realizes this.
Verstappen is the exception
“It is really very impressive,” the Indian agrees Sky Sports F1 Podcast. ‘On days like this, visibility is a huge challenge if you don’t start at the front. In the first round you simply drive down a wall spray in. Many people had difficulty braking. Drivers like Oscar Piastri are normally very fast, but kept slowing down in Q3 and in the race.’ Lewis Hamilton, Carlos Sainz, and many others also continued to make mistakes in São Paulo.
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Verstappen with clenched fists after a sledgehammer blow in Brazil.
Rain races usually provide a lot of action, but in Brazil it was all about one man: Verstappen. ‘Max was the only one who seemed to find grip and had confidence and was able to make overtakes. No one else managed to do that. We saw Lando Norris stuck behind George Russell. Norris was faster, but could not overtake. We also saw Sergio Pérez, who could not overtake Liam Lawson, and there are many more examples,” says the former driver.
‘Max was actually the only one who could make progress. Don’t forget that he started two places behind Lewis Hamilton, and Hamilton is also known as a rain specialist, but in this race only Verstappen could get to the front.’ Verstappen and Hamilton both got off to a good start, after which Verstappen finished in eleventh place on the first lap, behind his former title rival. When braking for the first corner of the second corner, Verstappen immediately outbraked the Brit effortlessly, after which he did not see Hamilton again.
Humiliate competitors
Verstappen grabbed the lead with just under 27 laps to go. With two Alpines behind you, it’s ideal to drive around with some reserve and not take any risks, you might say. Verstappen had other plans, and tightened the fastest lap time fourteen times in that final phase. “I really felt like he wanted to make a statement because once he got to the front, he didn’t hold back,” Chandhok also noted, enjoying it immensely.
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Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are also in disbelief after what they have experienced.
Chandhok therefore places Verstappen’s victory in a selective list. ‘It reminded me a lot of Ayrton Senna in Donington in 1993, or Michael Schumacher’s victory in Spain in 1996, or Hamilton in Silverstone, 2008. They didn’t just want to win, but really wanted to make a point, and completely humiliate the competition. .’ For Schumacher, that victory was his first of 72 victories for Ferrari.
‘He opened a gap of nineteen seconds, even though we had the late Safety Cars and red flag. He simply disappeared over the horizon. He really made a huge statement.” Chandhok realizes that Verstappen was extremely irritated after all the controversy from Mexico, after which analysts such as Damon Hill, Martin Brundle, and Johnny Herbert took their opportunity to strongly criticize Verstappen.
