Martin Brundle believes Lando Norris will change his view
of Max Verstappen getting slightly “lucky” during the Brazilian Grand Prix, as
the Red Bull driver was “in a class of one” on Sunday.
Verstappen rose
from 17th on the grid to take an unlikely victory in wet conditions at
Interlagos, with Norris slipping to sixth place after starting from pole
position – and the timing of a red flag stoppage leading Norris to his claim of
Verstappen having luck on his side.
Martin Brundle: Max Verstappen ‘in a class of one’ during
Brazilian GP win
Norris had already pitted for fresh intermediate tyres as
more rain fell on Sunday, with Verstappen opting to stay out along with both
Alpine drivers.
When Williams driver Franco Colapinto crashed under
Safety Car conditions, the red flags were waved and Verstappen was able to
change tyres while maintaining second place on track, which turned into the
lead when he overtook Esteban Ocon at Turn 1.
He escaped up the road with a succession of fastest laps
to eventually win by 19 seconds, in a performance Brundle described as a
“classic drive” on Sunday.
While Norris
had initially said it was “not talent, just luck” that helped
Verstappen on Sunday, he has since congratulated the World Championship leader
on Instagram by commenting: “Nice drive mate” under a post celebrating his
victory.
When asked on Sky Sports News if Norris will
reassess his ‘lucky’ verdict upon rewatching the race, Brundle replied: “Yes, I
do think he will, because Max was in a class of one; those conditions suit his
talent level.
“McLaren wasn’t the fastest car in the rain, which is a bit
surprising, because they looked so good in qualifying in wet conditions.
“Max got unlucky with the red flag in qualifying, but he
stayed out on track in the race and expected a Safety Car or a red flag
situation, so he knew what to do, and then he just steamed off and won by 19
seconds at a canter, really.
“It was a classic drive, and I think Formula 1 did really
well to get the race underway and finished, actually.”
With Verstappen having now opened up a 62-point lead heading
into the final three rounds, the Red Bull driver is now the hot favourite to
take a fourth consecutive title
“I think he just needs to extract the maximum out of himself and McLaren and his car and see how where he ends up, to be honest,” Brundle said.
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