Max Verstappen explains why late charge on Kimi Antonelli fell short at São Paulo Grand Prix
Max Verstappen has opened up about the reason behind his unsuccessful attempt to overtake Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli during the closing laps of the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix, revealing that overheating tyres prevented him from mounting a stronger attack.
The four-time world champion produced a remarkable comeback drive at Interlagos, recovering from a pit lane start and an early puncture to secure third place behind race winner Lando Norris and runner-up Antonelli. It was a race that tested Verstappen’s patience and skill, as he fought through the field after a weekend that initially appeared to have fallen apart for Red Bull.
Having been eliminated in Q1 following a poor qualifying session, Red Bull made a bold decision to change Verstappen’s power unit and adjust the car’s setup overnight—forcing him to start from the pit lane. However, the move paid off handsomely, as Verstappen’s RB21 came alive in race trim.
The Dutch driver swiftly climbed from the back of the pack to 13th place before a puncture on the hard tyres forced him to make an early unscheduled pit stop. Despite the setback, Verstappen rejoined the race and quickly began carving through the midfield once again, showcasing impressive pace and control.
As the race entered its final phase, Verstappen found himself on a fresh set of soft tyres, while those ahead—including Antonelli—were running on older mediums. This tyre advantage allowed him to close the gap to George Russell, overtaking the Mercedes driver for third place. From there, he set his sights on Antonelli in second, with just a few laps remaining.
However, despite having DRS for several laps, Verstappen could not get close enough to attempt a clean overtake. After the race, he explained that his soft tyres had started to overheat during the pursuit, costing him the grip needed to launch a decisive move.
“Yeah, miles better than our qualifying, that’s for sure,” Verstappen said when asked about the difference in performance between qualifying and the race. “Just a very strong race. I think we had much better pace today. It was a bit colder, which maybe helped us too, and the car felt a lot more responsive. Even with the puncture that I picked up on the hard tyre, we recovered really well on the mediums, and the strategy was spot on in the end.”
Verstappen noted that while the soft tyres initially gave him great pace, the extra heat buildup from running closely behind Antonelli made them degrade faster than expected. “Even on the softs, it seemed like it was OK,” he continued. “But once you start getting close—like after passing George—you wear the tyres a bit more. When I was right behind Kimi, the tyres just started to overheat and I lost a lot of grip. The softs are a bit trickier to manage in that situation than the mediums.”
Despite missing out on second place, Verstappen described the result as one of the strongest and most satisfying performances of the season. “Coming from the pit lane to the podium, being just about ten or eleven seconds off the lead, I think for us it’s a very strong result. I definitely didn’t expect that when I woke up this morning,” he added with a smile.
For Red Bull, the weekend represented a valuable recovery after a frustrating qualifying session that left both drivers outside the top ten. Verstappen’s podium salvaged crucial points in the championship and reaffirmed the team’s ability to turn setbacks into opportunities through strategic precision and strong race management.
Antonelli, meanwhile, managed to hold his composure under immense pressure from the reigning champion, securing his best Formula 1 finish to date. But for Verstappen, the Brazilian Grand Prix once again underlined his trademark resilience—transforming what began as a disastrous weekend into a thrilling comeback story at one of Formula 1’s most iconic circuits.
