'Savage' Max Verstappen handed 'outrageous' appraisal after Lando Norris hunt

James Hinchcliffe has delivered an "outrageous" verdict on Max Verstappen's charge through the field at the São Paulo Grand Prix, branding the Red Bull driver a "savage competitor" after he carved his way from the back of the grid to finish second behind race winner Lando Norris.

Verstappen started from 21st on the grid after taking an engine-related penalty for exceeding his season's power unit component allocation. 

He crossed the line just 14.602 seconds behind Norris, who converted pole position into victory despite a wheelspin issue off the line.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hinchcliffe pointed out that Verstappen's run to the podium from the back has become a habit at Interlagos.

"You have one little issue, a mechanical issue on Lando's car, and he's won the race from 21st on the grid," Hinchcliffe said on the F1 Nation podcast. "I mean, it's outrageous. 

"The challenge with Max is that we're not sure how he would do if he got the chance to start up front because he hasn't done it here in so long. 

"That's three years in a row now that he's had to do starts from the teens, pit lane or the 20s, and all three times he's ended up on the podium. So it's remarkable what he's accomplished at this track over the last few years."

Max Verstappen playing Lando Norris mind games

Verstappen suggested after the race that he could have closed in further on Norris had his grid penalty not pushed him to the back, a claim Hinchcliffe said was a calculated piece of gamesmanship.

Discussing Verstappen implying he would have been closer to Norris had he not started from the back, Hinchcliffe said: "And that's exactly what you should say to get into the head of your competition, right? Lando won this race by 10 seconds last year, and on the cool-down lap, he said it wasn't a big enough margin. 

"Well, he did it by 14 this year, but Max is going to be the first to be like, 'Well, yeah, it was 14, but was it?' But that's also what makes him such a fierce competitor. He can have a drive like that but still be picking apart what went wrong. 

"And for all we know, they'll bring that car back to the factory or to the next race, pull it apart and find maybe something broke or something wasn't quite right. Very possible. These cars are very complicated and complex, but that's why, again, he's such a savage competitor that, even after a drive like that, he's still trying to figure out how he could be better."