Max Verstappen wins third consecutive Formula One world championship
Max Verstappen will be aiming for his 17th victory of the season at Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver has already won this year’s Drivers’ Championship title following another dominant season on the track and will start the Sao Paulo race from pole position ahead of Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin star Lance Stroll.
Verstappen bagged more points on Saturday when he won the Sprint race in Brazil, with his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez finishing directly behind McLaren genius Lando Norris.
Verstappen may be enjoying his weekend in Brazil on the track after success in the Friday and Saturday sessions, but he is certainly not happy with the latest F1 rule change.
Ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, drivers were told they had been banned from driving slowly or stopping the car in the fast lane of the pit lane. But the Dutchman has labelled the decision “absolutely terrible”, and says the change is “extremely dangerous”.
Meanwhile, Perez has been assured by Red Bull chief Christian Horner that he will retain his F1 seat with the Austrian team next season despite coming under fire for some of his displays this year. “The clear intention is that he will continue here”, Horner said.
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Perez told his Red Bull seat is safe
Sergio Perez has been told by Red Bull chief Christian Horner that his seat with the Austrian team is safe for next season. The Mexican has another year remaining on his current deal but has been criticised for his underwhelming displays this season.
On Saturday Horner said: “I am absolutely confident and clear that Checo will be our driver next year. Now, if he was injured or something like that, then they are circumstances beyond your control. But the clear intention is that he will continue here.
“We’re planning to continue, we have announced the AlphaTauri drivers, we have our Red Bull drivers and that is how we intend to go racing in 2024.”
Good morning!
Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s live coverage of the Brazilian Grand Prix. We’re set for another big day on the track as the main event gets underway at 5pm. So stick around throughout the day for the latest updates.
Verstappen makes ‘dangerous’ comment
Max Verstappen has admitted he is not happy with F1’s latest regulation changes. The FIA tweaked the rules in the aftermath of last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix to prevent cars driving slowly or stopping at the end of the pit lane.
However, drivers in Brazil have been told they can instead go slowly after the pit lane exit to make a gap ahead of them as long as their rivals can get past.
And Verstappen hissed: “It was absolutely terrible. On this track, you have quite a long pit exit and there are some walls. But on some other tracks, if we implement this, you’re driving very slowly onto a straight where people are passing with 300 plus [km/h]. And you’re maybe driving at 15, 20 to make a gap, which is extremely dangerous.
“For me, this doesn’t work at all. It just creates even more trouble. I mean, look at what was happening [in qualifying] – people going on the grass, including myself, to try to pass cars. It’s just a mess every single qualifying, you have like six to eight cars getting noted for driving too slow with the minimum time. I don’t know what we’re trying to achieve.”
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