Red Bull made a small ‘tweak’ to Max Verstappen’s car that might have transformed his Brazilian GP

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Max Verstappen defied the odds yet again as he became the fourth driver in Formula 1 history to score a podium from the pit lane at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The result was vital for keeping his drivers’ championship hopes alive, as McLaren’s Lando Norris continues to build a gap at the front. He topped every session all weekend, showing just how dominant the Woking-based outfit can be, despite pressure from Red Bull.

Verstappen couldn’t have asked for much more from the Brazilian Grand Prix, particularly given that he was a shock Q1 elimination on Saturday. He had the pace to win on Sunday if he had qualified at the front, and it might end up being a massive missed opportunity.

McLaren are suspicious of a Red Bull change made to the Dutchman’s power unit this weekend, and whether it counts towards their budget cap. Verstappen has been ‘hamstrung’ at Red Bull, but the extra power undoubtedly helped him on the long straights of Sao Paulo.

READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher shares what Max Verstappen’s father privately told him about Red Bull set-up woes

Red Bull ‘tweak’ might have helped inspire Max Verstappen’s Brazilian Grand Prix comeback

Verstappen felt colder conditions ‘helped’ Red Bull during the Grand Prix, accounting for part of their turnaround. On Friday and Saturday, they looked as slow as they have been since the summer break, and there were some parallels to a disappointing Hungary performance.

After being knocked out of qualifying, Verstappen showed why Red Bull cannot retain Yuki Tsunoda, as his set-up feedback ended up contributing to his team’s downfall. It made their weekend a whole lot more difficult than it should have been.

But the changes that Red Bull made overnight helped to make a big difference to their pace on Sunday, and it might have been inspired by a recent ‘tweak’ to their floor.

“By getting it so wrong on Saturday, Red Bull basically had a free hit on Sunday,” said The Race’s Scott Mitchell-Malm. “Pulling Verstappen off the grid and making him start from the pit lane meant Red Bull could change whatever it wanted on the car outside of parc ferme conditions.

“The older pre-Mexico floor actually stayed on, but the most recent tweak to that was a small evolution, so this wasn’t so surprising.

“Red Bull won’t elaborate on the details, but whatever it changed, and with cooler track conditions on Sunday helping them, too, the car came alive in Verstappen’s hands.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko agree about his 2025 F1 title bid after Brazilian Grand Prix blunder

Why the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix is the most critical race of the 2025 F1 season

The upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to be the difference between the Formula 1 title race being open or closed heading into the final two races.

Martin Brundle says Verstappen looked wild in Brazil, but there’s a strong chance that McLaren faces the same fate in Nevada.

It’s one of their weakest tracks, which opens the door for the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari to get ahead of them as well.

If that ends up being the case, the title fight could become a bit closer. If they perform against expectations, it could be over pretty soon.