Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB Sunday qualifying and race quotes from São Paulo.
November 3, 2024
Max Verstappen produced a sensational performance to win Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix from 17th on the grid and move one step nearer winning the FIA Formula One World Championship for a fourth time.
The Dutchman started way back after a disappointing qualifying display and grid penalty, however he mastered the wet conditions to storm through the field and triumph in a box-office race that involved a red flag, two safety car periods and a number of crashes and incidents.
The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver will seal his fourth consecutive drivers’ title if he has a lead over at least 60 points following the next race this season – the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 23.
Teammate Sergio Pérez finished in 11th place, while Visa Cash App RB duo Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson converted great grid positions of third and fifth into seventh and ninth places respectively.
QUOTES
Oracle Red Bull Racing
MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st
“Today was honestly incredible. I am super proud to win here in Brazil as it is a special place for me, but also because we started from P17. I firstly want to say a big thank you to the Team: they did an amazing job, made all the right calls and were incredibly calm. We had a really good start and made some good overtakes and made the right decision to stay out before the red flag. I always feel confident in the wet and driving in these kind of conditions, but today the car gave me confidence to go for it. It felt really good to drive and was fast so I felt unstoppable today. It was definitely an emotional win; I was really motivated and put everything into this race and I surprised myself today as I wasn’t expecting to finish in P1. This was a really strong result for us today and I’m really proud. Simply Lovely.”
SERGIO PEREZ – 11th
“It was a mixed weekend and we missed out on some luck today. Our tyres were very cold at the start which limited us and then we pitted just before the red flag, we were on the wrong side of things from the start. We had some good battles out there but it was quite difficult to pass. The conditions were mixed all day with the rain coming and going throughout the session and it was also strange to do qualifying and the race in the same day. I’m glad we were able to race today and for the fans to be able to see track action as it is a very passionate crowd here. A big congrats to Max, he was strong all weekend and really charged through the field today, it is a great result for the Team. It is the end of a triple header and was probably our most competitive weekend as a Team in a while. Hopefully the final three races will be positive for our Championship fight.”
CHRISTIAN HORNER – CEO and Team Principal
“Max put on a masterclass today, he was just brilliant. In these conditions the driver skill really comes out and he was in a league of his own. As a Team we got all of the strategy calls right and the car had great pace. What a transformation from this morning when we thought that the top five would have been an incredible drive. To come from 17th on the grid, and through nearly the entire field, it was an incredible performance and one of Max’s very best. Checo had a stronger weekend as well, and had some unlucky moments during the race. The Team demonstrated today that we are never going to give up, that was evident both at the track and with the whole Team back in Milton Keynes. What a great result for the Team, and we are going to carry this momentum with us for the final triple header of the season.”
Visa Cash App RB
YUKI TSUNODA – 7th
“I got my best-ever qualifying result this morning and I was extremely happy to start the race in P3. Overall, the team did a fantastic job and we had a good turnaround from yesterday where we made a lot of changes to the car after the Sprint, even if it was difficult to make a real comparison as the conditions were different. Coming to this afternoon’s race, I had a good start and first stint, and I’m generally very happy with my driving, but unfortunately, some things came against us. During the race the Red Flag came out at the wrong time for us and the Alpines scored a lot of points which is a shame for our place in the Constructors’ Championship. Overall, the rewards don’t really show our results on paper, so it’s definitely a mixed-feeling day, but it’s nice to score points again. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend and we’ll keep pushing in the last three race weekends.”
LIAM LAWSON – 9th
“It was such a crazy race, with crazy conditions today. I’m very happy for the team, we scored some really good points, which is important for us. I do feel like we missed out a bit, from where we started, we just got a bit unlucky. Our race got unwound a little bit when we got turned around at the start by the McLaren, which cost us a lot of time; from there it was a bit of a battle and then we boxed for Extremes where we also lost time. We had good speed, especially at the start of the stint, but we struggled a bit more towards the end. Alpine made the most of getting a double podium which is amazing for them. They’re only ahead now by five points. It’s totally doable for us, so we’ll obviously focus on scoring some points in the last triple header.”
JODY EGGINTON – Technical Director
“The day started well with both drivers qualifying in the top five, demonstrating strong performances on both the wet and inter tyres. We were set up for a strong race. The first phase of the race was going well, with Yuki running strongly in P3, and Liam also delivering a solid opening stint running in P7. With the rain increasing and track conditions worsening, both cars moved to the wet tyre. The two Alpines stayed out, taking track position, which they maintained with the red flag. Our pace at the restart wasn’t as strong as we needed to keep up with the cars ahead. Yuki came home P7, and Liam finished P9, spending many laps defending from Hamilton and Perez. It’s good to score points with both cars, however, seeing what Alpine achieved from the race, we’re left frustrated as there was potential for more points. We’ll go away and review the race and drivers’ feedback to determine what we could’ve done differently so we’re ready for Las Vegas.”
LAURENT MEKIES – Team Principal
“We had an amazing qualifying this morning. It was an incredible job from the drivers and Team where we were consistently topping the timesheets throughout qualifying. The strong performance is a testament to the hard work that everyone is doing. The race was a rollercoaster. We knew it was going to be tricky and dependent on the weather conditions. We were in a very strong position in the first half of the race, with Yuki holding onto P3 with incredible pace alongside Liam defending amazingly. Our race was affected when the red flag came out however; it diminished both drivers’ advantage, but that’s part of racing in these conditions. We came away with eight points, which is a great result. Congratulations to Max on a brilliant drive and well done to Alpine, even if the points they scored today will make for an even closer fight for us over the final three races. It’s still very close, and we had a fast car this weekend. We now have 19 days before the final triple-header of the season, and we will be working flat out at home to build on the upturn in performance we have seen in the past two races and extract every second from the car. We’ll be fighting hard in Las Vegas.”
