Verstappen moves his steamroller to Brazil

//correct pretitle. Correct: GP BRAZIL//

Adrian R. Huber

Madrid, Nov 2 (EFE).- The Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who almost a month ago already mathematically decided in his favor (for the third year in a row) the Formula One World Championship, does not tire of polishing his very brilliant palmares. And this weekend he will be able to continue improving his own records at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, home of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The Autódromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo hosts the penultimate round of the World Championship, the third in three consecutive weekends; which will be held – for the sixth and last time this year – in a sprint format. And that, with the constructors’ competition also decided, apart from continuing to satisfy the unlimited appetite of the Dutch star, it will serve to resolve the rest of the positions of honor.

Verstappen, 26, has just won the first two races of the American triptych, in Austin (USA) and in Mexico. In the Mexican capital, after a sensational outing, the new sporting idol of the Netherlands raised his own historical record for victories in a single season to 16 and equaled the 51 of Frenchman Alain Prost: the fourth best historical mark in F1.

In the three races remaining before the championship closes – on the 26th of this month, in Abu Dhabi – the insatiable ‘Mad Max’ can equal or even surpass the third mark of all time, held by another quadruple champion world champion, the German Sebastian Vettel, who led – aboard other of the very dominant cars designed by the stellar English engineer Adrian Newey – the previous glorious journey of Red Bull; and won 53 races in the premier class.

The two seven-time world champions are still far behind him: the German Michael Schumacher, still recovering from the serious ski accident he suffered almost ten years ago in the French Alps, with 91 successes; and the Englishman Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who played ‘God Save The Queen’ 103 times after an F1 race.

Sir Lewis, who has just finished second -with a fast lap- in Mexico City, will discuss that final place in the competition with the Mexican Sergio Pérez, who wanted to offer a victory to his fans, took the maximum risk and had to retire after an accident in the first curve of the Hermanos Rodriguez Autodrome. After colliding with the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), he was third to cross the finish line last Sunday.

‘Checo’, who admitted that this incident was “devastating” for him and that what he needs now is “a great weekend”, has 240 points – less than half of what his voracious Dutch teammate has – and takes him twenty to Hamilton, who, in turn, is 37 ahead of the Spaniards Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) -fourth last Sunday- and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who in Mexico, as a result of the declining performance of the AMR23, suffered second abandonment (continued) of the season.

Sainz, winner of the only race that Red Bull did not score this year (in Singapore), for that reason, on equal points, snatched fourth place overall from his compatriot. And neither he nor Fernando himself will give up trying to take third place from Hamilton in the final races, who races almost at home in Brazil. A country whose Chamber of Deputies granted him the title of honorary citizen last year.

The Asturian double world champion returns, waiting for better results, to the track where he celebrated his two titles (2005 and 2006). In which in his day he became the youngest to win the World Cup, and where, on the eve of dethroning the ‘Kaiser’, he had declared in an interview with Agencia Efe that a World Cup with Schumacher on the track “had much more worth”.

In the constructors’ championship – decided in favor of Red Bull a month and a half ago in Suzuka (Japan) – Mercedes is second, with 371 points, 22 more than Ferrari. McLaren arrives fourth (256), with twenty over Aston Martin, at Interlagos. A track of 4,309 meters and fifteen curves (five to the right), which is scheduled to do 71 laps on Sunday, to complete a route of 305.8 kilometers.

This Friday the only free practice of the entire weekend will be held at the São Paulo circuit, which will be ridden – in a counterclockwise direction – with tires from the intermediate range of compounds, the same one used two weeks ago in Austin: the C2 (hard, recognizable by the white stripe), the C3 (medium, yellow stripe) and the C4 (soft, red stripe).

Hours after the only test, qualifying will be held, which will organize the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

On Saturday, it will, once again, be independent. It will start with a reduced qualification, the ‘sprint shootout’, which will design the starting line-up for the afternoon sprint. About a third of the distance of the long race: 24 laps, to complete a route of 103.3 kilometers. And, remember, points are distributed among the first eight: eight to the winner, seven to the second, six to the third; and so on, until the eighth, which adds up to one.

Some points that would be very good for ‘Checo’, who, despite the enormous disappointment he had last Sunday, affirms that he feels “comfortable in the car” and that he trusts that the results will come in Brazil. Where ‘Mad Max’, who stated that it seemed “crazy” to raise his own record of victories to 16, will focus on going “for 17.” Verstappen moves his steamroller to Brazil. EFE

arh/jpd