Max Verstappen’s march from P17 to a race win in Sao Paulo was nothing short of a miracle. The Dutchman looked like he was in a different dimension as he navigated Interlagos flawlessly in treacherously wet conditions. Looking at his driver, Christian Horner was reminded of one of the greatest laps ever driven, by local hero Ayrton Senna.
The Red Bull boss felt Verstappen‘s race was comparable with Senna‘s fabled 1993 European GP’s opening lap. It saw him start the one-off race at Donington Park in P4, lose a position initially, only to gain it back, and three more to lead before even starting the second lap. To this day, it is remembered as ‘The Lap of the Gods’ in F1.
Donington 1993. Ayrton Senna’s “Lap of the Gods”
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“I think that that was one of his best-ever drives. I mean, to go from 17th in those conditions to winning the Grand Prix was exceptional. So, right up there with his very best,” Horner said in an interview with talkSPORT Driving.
“You know, right out there you when you talk about some of the great drives we’ve seen over the years from some of the big names. Senna- Donington ’93 springs to mind. That, in my mind, was right up there,” he added.
The win, if not mathematically, then practically has sealed the championship for Verstappen. He currently stands 62 points clear of Lando Norris in 2nd, who looked poised to bite off a chunk of the Dutchman’s lead starting the race from the pole position. The context of how this win turned the championship fight on its head makes Verstappen’s race even more special.
Horner talks about the importance of Verstappen’s win
The win in Sao Paulo marks the first for Verstappen and Red Bull since Barcelona in June. It is also a testament to the uptick in performance since Singapore, which did not reap rewards owing to Ferrari’s unexpected resurgence. Horner sees it as an opportunity to lift the morale of the team, who may have grown tired of losing despite finding performance.
“I think it was a great result for us. It was important that we score big. We haven’t won since June. But our eighth victory of the year and you know a dominant one uh as it transpired in the end. So, fantastic performance by Max. A great recovery from the team after a difficult period during the last couple of months,” he concluded.
Unfortunately, this result may not be enough to pull Red Bull out of P3 in the constructors’ championship. The reason is Sergio Perez, who has failed to find his lost form, leaving Verstappen as the only driver pulling in some crucial championship points. Out of Red Bull’s total of 544, the Dutchman has scored 393 while Perez languishes in P8 in the standings with just 151 points.
