Steiner surprised Verstappen did not win in Brazil, but praises recovery

Guenther Steiner said he was disappointed that Max Verstappen did not win Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, despite the Dutchman’s climb from 21st on the grid to second.

RacingNews365 reported that Verstappen started 21st after an engine change; another report from the same outlet attributed his grid position to grid penalties. On a wet track at Interlagos, he was already approaching the top ten on the opening lap and went on to finish 14.6 seconds behind winner Lando Norris.

The former Haas team principal picked Norris as his standout driver on The Red Flags Podcast. When pressed about Verstappen’s recovery, Steiner spoke with irony about the expectation of a win. He said Verstappen had nearly done it again, but had not completed the mission.

Steiner nevertheless acknowledged the quality of the recovery, saying it showed how good Verstappen was. He felt the conditions had been ideal for the Dutchman, but said going from near the back to second was quite an achievement.