Verstappen surges from 21st to second in Brazil but flags mysterious car problem after pitstop

Max Verstappen climbed from 21st on the grid to second place at the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, continuing his remarkable record of comeback drives in Brazil — but the four-time world champion left the circuit with questions about a car problem that he believes denied him a shot at the win.

It was the third consecutive year Verstappen has produced a stunning recovery drive in Brazil. He won from 17th on the grid in 2024 and drove from the pitlane to the podium in 2023, but this time a suspected loss of rear downforce after his pitstop prevented him from challenging for the lead.

“As soon as I switched to the slicks, I had an extreme amount of oversteer in the car in the high-speed corners, which made it super difficult to drive,” Verstappen said in the post-race press conference. “We need to understand if something broke on the car, some kind of aero loss or whatever, because this was not normal.”

The Dutchman was candid about his own error off the line, admitting he held the clutch incorrectly and lost ground in the opening corners. He also noted that Lewis Hamilton made better early progress through the field than he did.

“I had a very slow reaction time off the line because I was holding the clutch wrong,” he said. “Then I just got a bit unlucky in the first three corners where there was a traffic jam. Actually, Lewis had a very good first lap — he could really get through those cars. I was a little bit disappointed that I couldn’t make the same headway.”

Once clear of the early congestion, however, Verstappen’s pace was exceptional. He described cutting through the midfield at speed, gaining multiple positions within just two laps and reaching the top ten rapidly.

“Within two laps, I was just flying by cars, almost every corner. We had a lot more grip, I guess, than most in the midfield. I don’t know what lap I was in the top 10, but it all happened very quickly.”

The mood shifted after the pitstop. Red Bull had already identified a loss of rear downforce in their data during the race, though the team led by Laurent Mekies could not immediately confirm whether or where Verstappen had sustained damage. The Dutchman inspected the rear of his car himself immediately after climbing out.

“I sit here, of course, very happy with second, but at the same time, I know there was more in it if the car had been in good shape,” he said. “Unfortunately, that was not the case. I actually did most of the race with a car that was not in good shape.”

Verstappen acknowledged the result was still a positive one given his starting position, but stressed the team must get to the bottom of what changed after the tyre switch before the next round.