Martin Brundle hails Max Verstappen’s Brazil recovery as “a drive for the ages”

Legendary F1 commentator Martin Brundle has described Max Verstappen’s pit-lane-to-podium recovery at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as a “drive for the ages”.

Verstappen delivered one of the best performances of his F1 career to date, finishing on the podium at Interlagos.

Starting from the pit lane after a shock Q1 exit, Verstappen carved his way through the field early on.

His initial charge was halted by a puncture under the Virtual Safety Car after running over debris.

The puncture, however, proved to be a blessing in disguise, allowing Verstappen to ditch the unfavoured hard tyre.

At one stage, Verstappen even led the race - leading fans to wonder whether he could beat Lando Norris to the win if Red Bull hadn’t stopped him for a third time.

Red Bull ultimately played it safe, pitting Verstappen for a new set of softs to attack the Mercedes pair.

Verstappen dispatched George Russell before chasing down Kimi Antonelli in the closing laps.

The Dutchman narrowly missed out on an unlikely top-two finish in Brazil.

Brundle’s praise for Verstappen

Verstappen has produced some of his career-best performances in Sao Paulo over the years.

In his first season with Red Bull in 2016, Verstappen showcased incredible wet-weather skill to finish on the podium - a race remembered for his sensational overtake on Nico Rosberg around the outside of Turn 3.

Similarly, in 2024, Verstappen proved why he’s the class of the field by winning from 17th on the grid - a result that effectively sealed the title at Lando Norris’ expense.

Writing in his post-race column for Sky Sports, Brundle spoke glowingly about Verstappen’s latest Interlagos heroics.

“Verstappen had started from the pitlane because his car looked so dismal in qualifying it was better to try something different on the set up and fit a new power unit rather than being stuck 16th on the grid with a package known to be off the pace.

“And so began one of the all-time great drives through a closely-matched pack in what would be entirely dry conditions.

“Once he caught the pack, he had avoided all the chaos and contact between the likes of Sainz, Hamilton, Stroll, and Bortoleto, and the safety car at least allowed Max to close the gap to the leaders as he was already mid-pack pretty much straight away. But then, like a game of snakes and ladders, he had a slow puncture and had to pit again.

“The downside of this is that he was now at the back of the remaining runners again, but at least he’d parked the unfavoured hard compound tyre and ticked the legality box of having used two different dry tyre compounds by lap seven. Then he set about charging through the pack at great speed, clearly much happier with his car and motor. He was clinical in his moves and relentless with his speed and it quickly became apparent that a podium finish was on, and within a few more laps, pretty much a certainty.

“It was a drive for the ages, and not because it was wet or that he aced a red flag-free tyre change in a similarly mesmerising drive at this track last year, but on sheer pace through the most competitive field in F1 history.”