Verstappen plays down Red Bull prospects for Brazil

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Max Verstappen has admitted that the next Grand Prix is not likely to be as strong for the Red Bull team as Mexico proved.

The high altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City brought out the best in the RB14, with Daniel Ricciardo clinching an outstanding pole position on the Saturday and Verstappen himself taking a magnificent victory for the team on race day.

But Verstappen fears that São Paulo's Autódromo José Carlos Pace could bring the team back down to earth with a bump this weekend.

"In general Interlagos doesn’t suit our car that well," he admitted. But that doesn't mean he was ruling out the possibility of an upset result in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

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"After finishing on the podium there in 2016 and winning last week in Mexico, anything can happen in the race," he said. "I’ve had some great battles and overtakes there and I’m hoping for another exciting race."

"It’s a track that isn’t always that easy to pass on," added his team mate, Daniel Ricciardo. "But last year proved that it can be done and I’m looking forward to going back.

"The lap is quite short and lacks high speed corners but it’s definitely grown on me over the years. The weather can also play a big part in this race, so let’s hope the on-track action can live up to the off-track atmosphere.

"It has a kind of carnival feel which gives you a boost of energy before you get in the car," the Australian added. "The drivers’ parade there is cool with the noise from all the local fans and the air horns,

While it's a long way from home for both drivers, Verstappen in particular continues to attract great support from one of the most passionate crowds in F1.

"The Brazilian fans are so loud," the Dutch driver smiled. "And because the narrow starting grid is so close to the grandstand you can hear them cheering when you’re sat on the grid."

Verstappen was also eagerly looking forward to getting tucked in to some of the country's famous food dishes.

"The food in Brazil is really good and the Churrascaria restaurants have amazing grilled meat," he said.

"Although it’s nearly the end of the season I still have to be careful what I eat in order to stay in shape, which is a shame as I would like to enjoy the local cuisine even more!"

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.