Martin Brundle feels 26-year-old has perfected one F1 skill after Sao Paulo GP

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Martin Brundle has praised Max Verstappen for perfecting ‘many’ aspects of the Red Bull driver’s skills and believes he proved one throughout the Sao Paulo GP weekend.

The 26-year-old did the double at Interlagos as Verstappen topped the Sprint and Sao Paulo GP. Winning on Sunday also saw the Red Bull pilot set the new record for the most dominant Formula 1 season in history. He beat Alberto Ascari’s long-held record that stood since 1952.

Ascari became world champion in F1’s third season after winning six of the eight Grand Prix held that year. But Verstappen has won 85% of this season’s Grand Prix and his win rate can only drop to 77.3% in the final two races. It is possible that the figure can rise to 86.4%, too.

Verstappen continued a record-setting season at the Sao Paulo GP

Verstappen has now won a record-extending 17 of the 20 Grand Prix so far in 2023 ahead of racing in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi. The three-time world champion has also won four of the six Sprint events this season. He has even only finished off the podium once in all 26 events.

It has been a year of absolute domination by Verstappen and Red Bull that only continued at the Sao Paulo GP. The Dutchman managed his pace in the events at Interlagos to beat Lando Norris for both wins. He rarely looked in any danger of finishing second to the McLaren star.

Brundle praises Verstappen for perfecting his starts in Formula 1

Verstappen particularly impressed Brundle with his starts in the Sprint and the Sao Paulo GP. The Red Bull driver burst off the grid to lead Norris into Turn 1 in the Sprint after missing out on pole by only six-hundredths of a second. He also mastered the launch for the Grand Prix.

No driver could get close to Verstappen into Turn 1 on Sunday with P2 on the grid left vacant after Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc crashed on the formation lap. Verstappen also made it three for three at the restart following the multi-car start-line crash that cost Alex Albon his race.

“Verstappen has perfected many of his driving skills these past two seasons and getting off the start-line is very much one of them,” Brundle told Sky Sports. “He led both races (in fact three starts) into the first corner and would win both in a commanding fashion.”