Verstappen hopes for another wet Brazilian GP

Max Verstappen fears Red Bull won’t be front-running contenders in the dry at Interlagos so is praying for another wet Brazilian Grand Prix to replicate his heroics from last year.

Verstappen battled through the field to grab a famous podium in the wet at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace 12 months ago, a race in which he won the FIA Action of the Year award, having produced some stunning overtakes while saving a heart-in-mouth moment with the barriers at the final corner.

Despite winning last time out in Mexico, Verstappen already believes Red Bull won’t have enough pace in the dry to challenge Ferrari and Mercedes in Brazil and wants another wet race to demonstrate his race craft in slippery conditions.

“We are looking for another strong performance at Interlagos following a really fun race in the wet last year,” Verstappen said. “I really enjoyed 2016, there were some great battles and overtakes which resulted in a hard earned podium.

“I also had a big moment near pit lane entry which was a close call, I managed to save it and carry on to achieve a good result.

“I’m hoping for another damp race weekend as I don’t think we can be as competitive there in the dry, especially with the elevation changes on the straight, it is not our strongest point.”

Early weather forecasts predict mixed conditions for the Brazilian Grand Prix race weekend with rain a strong possibility for all three days of F1 track action.