Hinchcliffe praises Verstappen's charge but questions how he'd fare starting up front

James Hinchcliffe praised Max Verstappen's charge from 21st to second at the São Paulo Grand Prix, describing him as a fierce competitor. Verstappen started 21st after an engine-related penalty for exceeding his season's power-unit component allocation and finished 14.602 seconds behind winner Lando Norris.

On the F1 Nation podcast, Hinchcliffe said Verstappen had reached the podium at Interlagos in three consecutive years despite starting in the teens, from the pit lane or in the 20s. He added that it is difficult to judge how Verstappen would fare starting near the front because Verstappen has not done so at the circuit for a long time.