10/11/2021
NEWS STORY
Now you've had time to reflect on the Mexican GP, how did it feel to be on the top step of the podium there again?
Max Verstappen: It felt really good to win in Mexico. As a Team it almost couldn't have gone any better for us, it was great to have Checo up there with me and that's what we want, we have to keep on pushing. I really didn't expect qualifying to go how it did but I always knew the car would be good in the race. We had a pace advantage and I was able to manage it to the end of the race.
What are your expectations for the Brazilian GP?
MV: Heading to Brazil, it's difficult to say how competitive we are going to be. In 2019 we won the race but it was a close battle all the way through and I expect something very similar again this year. Let's see what the weather forecast is going to be because that can impact the performance quite a bit. It's also a sprint race this weekend; I tend to do well in the sprint race but then get bad race results so let's try and turn it around.
We are one point behind in the Constructors Championship. What would it mean for the Team?
MV: It would mean a lot to the Team to win, we of course work for both Championships so to get those points today was amazing. Checo has been on fire for the past few races. For now, we are taking it race by race and we just need to keep pushing.
It was a historic moment for you in Mexico, how did it feel to be up on that podium?
Sergio Perez: It felt great! To have everyone up there with me in Foro Sol for the podium, people who have been with me since day one, was incredible. It was an emotional moment for my whole family, they are a big part of what I do every weekend on the racetrack and I am very pleased that we got the result for them too. It was a pretty intense week, it was hard to keep the focus and not be distracted by the people and intensity of the moment.
It was such an extreme race on Sunday and the whole weekend was similar. It went very well and I am very happy with the Team result, that Red Bull Racing Honda won in my country and that I got the podium.
Did your focus immediately turn to Brazil after the race in Mexico?
SP: It was a great result in my home country but ultimately, we have to move on straight away and shift the focus in a triple header. We go to Brazil next and as a Team we have to keep pushing hard because we are in such a strong position as the season starts to close. We are one point away from leading the Constructors Championship but ultimately none of that matters in this moment, what matters is the final standings, which is why we'll keep pushing until this season is done.
What are you expectations for the Brazilian Grand Prix?
SP: It is another opportunity and another chance to improve for the Team and me. This season has shown how quickly things can change so we need to make sure those changes are only positive for us this week. I have had three podiums in a row and feel like it's all down to getting to know the car better so I will take that momentum to Brazil and hope to build on it.
Stats & Facts
Checo was the first Mexican in history to step on the podium at the Mexican GP.
The Brazilian GP will be Checo's 210th career start, tying him with Austrian Gerhard Berger, the very first Formula One driver to be sponsored by Red Bull in the mid-1980s.
Checo has scored three consecutive podium finishes for the first time in his 11 seasons of Formula One.
Max won from pole in Brazil in 2019 and he has never been outqualified by a teammate at Interlagos.
Sao Paulo features one of the largest helicopter fleets on Earth, with people using them to avoid the traffic jams. In 2014 it was reported that one jam extended for 344 kilometres!
Sao Paulo is the name of the city but also the state that surrounds it. City inhabitants are known as paulistanos, while those from the surrounding state are known as paulistas