Max Verstappen described a "completely different" and "weird" feeling with his Red Bull during another superlative performance in the São Paulo Grand Prix.
For the third consecutive year, Verstappen started from a position that suggested a podium was highly improbable, yet for the third consecutive season, the four-time F1 champion managed to finish in the top three, claiming the runner-up spot on this occasion after starting 21st
Two years ago, Verstappen won from 17th on the grid; last season, he was third from the pit lane.
Assessing his latest heroics in a wet-dry-wet race, the Red Bull driver, speaking to Sky Sports F1, said: "It was a challenging race.
"I think the first few laps, of course, were very important. I overtook a lot of cars, and actually, that first stint, I think, on the inter was really, really strong."
Verstappen made most of his headway on the first set of inters before a switch so softs prevented further major progress.
"Unfortunately, after that, I don't know if we picked up some kind of damage because the car felt completely opposite to anything that I felt the whole weekend, with some really weird balance," he said.
"Unfortunately, once I got into P2, I couldn't really make any inroads. So we have to understand what went wrong there."
After another inter spell late in the race as the rain fell again, Verstappen finished 14 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris.
He at least acknowledged his performance, however, adding: "I mean, starting P 21 and being on the podium in second is a very good result."
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