Marko: Verstappen's São Paulo Sprint Podium Hopes Rest on Rain

Red Bull's Max Verstappen faces an uphill battle in the São Paulo sprint, with advisor Helmut Marko stating a podium finish is "no chance" without rain. Verstappen qualified a disappointing sixth, struggling with an "undriveable" car and a lack of balance, despite showing pace in high-speed sections.

Why it matters:

Max Verstappen's struggles in São Paulo's sprint qualifying highlight ongoing car balance issues for Red Bull, particularly in low-downforce setups. For a driver of Verstappen's caliber, a reliance on unpredictable weather to secure a podium underscores the team's current challenges in optimizing the RB21 across all track conditions, potentially impacting their championship aspirations if unaddressed.

The details:

• Verstappen narrowly made it into SQ3, finishing sixth for the sprint race, a third of a second behind pole-sitter Lando Norris.
• He described his RB21 as "completely broken" and "undriveable" due to a lack of balance, particularly in the twisty second sector of the Interlagos circuit.
• Sector Performance: While Verstappen was fastest in the low-downforce first sector and competitive in the third, he bled significant time in the more technical middle sector, indicating a deficiency in downforce.
• Marko's assessment: Helmut Marko confirmed the car lacks sufficient downforce, a problem that cannot be fixed before the sprint race.
• Weather dependency: Marko explicitly stated, "It must rain; otherwise, no chance" for Verstappen to secure a podium in the sprint.
  • Heavy rain is forecast for the sprint, which could benefit Verstappen given his past performance in wet conditions, including his win from 17th on the grid last year.

What's next:

Red Bull hopes to use data from the sprint to improve the car's setup for the main Grand Prix. While the sprint race poses a significant challenge without rain, a change in conditions could offer Verstappen an opportunity to mitigate the car's inherent balance issues and demonstrate his exceptional wet-weather driving skills.