Max Verstappen reveals what ‘helped’ make Red Bull quicker after ‘incredible’ Brazilian GP result

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Max Verstappen’s hopes of competing for the 2025 Formula 1 title are now pretty much over after a difficult Brazilian Grand Prix.

He needs a retirement from Lando Norris to be in contention at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, now that he sits a whopping 49 points behind him in the drivers’ championship. That mustn’t take away from his most recent performance, though, which was heroic at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Unfazed by a Q1 elimination on Saturday, the Dutchman opted to start from the pit lane and change his setup, as well as install a new engine for Sunday’s race. Red Bull’s decision paid off handsomely with a podium, falling just shy of second place, spurred on by Verstappen’s inspired driving.

Kimi Antonelli used ‘dirty air’ against Verstappen to prevent him from overtaking him at the end of the race. Verstappen’s comeback was heroic, but even he now knows that failing to finish ahead of Norris this weekend makes him a long shot for top honours again.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen just demonstrated at the Brazilian GP why Red Bull can’t retain Yuki Tsunoda for 2026

Max Verstappen thinks colder conditions ‘helped’ Red Bull at the Brazilian Grand Prix

Verstappen thinks his title chances are over, but it’s important to remember just how much of an outsider he was just a few weeks ago. It was incredible that he even managed to drag himself back into the conversation.

Being outscored by more than nine points by Norris at the next race in Las Vegas would see his hopes of winning dashed already. Fans might want to hedge their bets on an Oscar Piastri comeback if they want to see a title battle now.

Speaking about his fantastic drive in Brazil, Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 how a change in temperature actually might have ‘helped’ to spark his better pace on Sunday.

“What I like is that, yes, it has been very difficult for us this weekend, but the team never gives up,” he said. “We always want to be better, we don’t settle for second, otherwise you could easily say after the Sprint ‘let’s not touch the car, we are not too bad, let’s not risk it’.

“I don’t [think] that’s the mentality of the team. We always want to find more performance. Of course, that didn’t work out in qualifying, but it did allow us to change the car again and make it a lot more competitive today.

“We also have to be aware that today was quite a bit colder, it probably helped us a little bit, but overall to come from the pit lane all the way to the podium, 10-11 seconds off the lead, with a puncture as well, is an incredible result for us.”

READ MORE: Martin Brundle saw something that ‘didn’t look good’ as Max Verstappen suffers Brazilian GP horror

Why Max Verstappen can now afford to be optimistic about Red Bull for 2026

Verstappen thinks Red Bull got ‘too comfortable’ in their fight against McLaren, which cost them ground in the championship.

Now that they’re over that lull, and as they have shown for the last few months, there is reason to be more optimistic heading into the 2026 F1 regulations.

They face a daunting challenge, tasked with building their own power units for the first time ever, but years of preparation have gone into the project.

If there’s one thing to be wary of, it’s that their superstar driver won’t hang around forever if he doesn’t have a car capable of winning. Laurent Mekies must make sure his team produces a better car from day one in 2026.