Why Max Verstappen ended F1 practice early in Brazil – Red Bull explains
Max Verstappen finished Friday's Formula 1 practice sessions in Sao Paulo in third place. The Dutchman occupied that position in both sessions, in fact, and was also around two and a half tenths off the fastest driver in each session, with Lando Norris topping the first one and Kimi Antonelli the second. Red Bull concludes that there is once again "enough potential" in the car to fight at the ...…
Max Verstappen finished Friday's practice sessions in third place at the 2023 Brazilian GP, with the Dutchman two and a half tenths off the fastest driver in each session. Red Bull concluded that there was still potential in the car to challenge for the front row, despite Verstappen's complaints about downshifts and a power steering issue.
In the second practice, Verstappen had an interaction with his race engineer, Tom Hart, over a message regarding the power unit and gearbox. Verstappen responded in an unusual manner, asking Hart to explain it in simpler terms. The Red Bull head of race strategy, Hannah Schmitz, revealed that Verstappen ended practice early due to finding inconsistencies in the data and not getting the information needed to address changes overnight.
This decision meant Verstappen missed out on a practice start, which could be crucial given the steep uphill slope of the grid at the Autodromo José Carlos Pace. Schmitz expressed optimism for the rest of the weekend, despite the challenging weather forecast, as there were still opportunities for both drivers to address issues overnight.
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