Excellent FP1 outing at Interlagos

Published on 07 November 2014 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen impressed many in the Formula 1 paddock with P6 in the first Friday free practice of the Brazilian Grand Prix. With a 1:13.8, he was only a tenth shy of team mate Daniil Kvyat’s fastest lap, which granted the Russian third place. At the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, also known as Interlagos and the circuit where Jos verstappen made his Grand Prix debut 20 years ago, Verstappen junior took to track in Jean-Eric Vergne’s Scuderia Toro Rosso STR9, after previously driving free practice 1 in at the Suzuka and the Circuit of the Americas.

“Free practice in Brazil went very well for me”, says Max to Verstappen.nl. “I showed good speed. I had a couple of tricky moments but I kept the car out of the wall and in one piece, which is the main thing. Also, I managed the tyres a lot better compared to the previous weekends. I’m definitely learning more about how to use them well and I’m constantly gaining confidence in the car so I’m very pleased with this Friday.”

In the first half hour of the one-and-a-half our session, the Mercedes drivers head the time tables. Max adapts quickly to the circuit and sets a 1:15.1, earning him seventh. After all drivers return to the pits to replace the tyres - the first set can only be used the first half an hour -  Max heads out for his second run in which he laps the Brazilian circuit in an impressive 1:13.827, splitting the Mercedes duo to claim second. Shortly after, the Dutchman shows off his immense car control battling oversteer in the fast Mergulho corner. Straight away, he calmly asks the team if there is any damage to the car, proving he is every inch a professional.

With half an hour to go, the session is halted after Daniel Juncadella crashes Sergio Perez’ Force India. After ten minutes of clearing the debris, free practice resumes and Max heads out on track for another run. Via the radio, the Red Bull rookie tells his team he is able to manage the rear tyres comfortably and that the car feels a lot better than at the start. Nevertheless, Max locks up and goes wide at the Senna-S chicane shortly after. He keeps the car in one piece by cleverly using the run-off area and sneaking his way back on track.

“After I ran wide, my tyres were gone. Because of my tyres locking up, I experienced a lot of vibration in the car so I went back to the pits”, concludes Max. In the meantime, Nico Rosberg, Fernando Alonso and team mate Kvyat set a quicker lap than the Dutchman. It means, Max finishes his third FP1 in sixth with 26 laps completed.

The fact that Kvyat only just beat his lap time at the end of the session does not spoil the 17-year-old’s mood. “I’m not really focused on other people’s lap times. There are at least three different engine mappings on the steering wheel and I used the one with the least amount of power, whereas Daniil used the one with the most. This means I missed out on three to four tenths of second on the main straight.”

Nevertheless, the Dutch youngster has shown a steady progression throughout all the free practice outings. In Japan, he clocked a twelfth fastest time, in Austin P10 and with his sixth place at Interlagos, he proves he is a fast learner.