Max Verstappen urges Red Bull problem fix as wet weather plea issued

Max Verstappen ended second practice for the São Paulo Grand Prix third fastest but flagged a steering problem that Red Bull will need to resolve before qualifying. He also hopes for the arrival of wet weather.

The Dutchman set a best lap of 1m 11.022 at Interlagos, finishing just 0.006s off George Russell's Mercedes and 0.259s behind session pacesetter Kimi Antonelli. Lando Norris split the two Mercedes in second for McLaren.

But the lap times told only part of the story. Verstappen had already reported heavy steering feel during the opening session on Friday, a problem that compromised the car's rotation through the lap, and the issue was still on his mind after FP2.

"The session went fairly well," said Verstappen. "We're always looking to extract a little more performance, while also trying to find more consistency in our overall performance. 

"We've been fine-tuning the car and, in particular, working to better understand the tyre behaviour over the long runs. I had some issues with the steering, which we'll need to fix ahead of qualifying. There's still a bit of work to do, but nothing major. 

"We'll focus on maximising our performance and maybe hope for a little bit of rain."

The forecast appears to back him up. Saturday's qualifying session faces an estimated 50 to 70 percent chance of rain, with the potential for afternoon thunderstorms, while Sunday's race is expected to be cooler with precipitation odds between 40 and 60 percent through the afternoon.

Whether the steering complaint stems from hydraulic assistance degradation or a mechanical front-geometry issue remains unclear, leaving Red Bull with a diagnostic puzzle to solve before Verstappen heads out for a session he may be quietly hoping gets rained on.