Verstappen also suspicious of Mercedes: There's clearly something going on

Max Verstappen believes there is something "going on" with the Mercedes rear wings, echoing the thoughts of his team boss Christian Horner.

Verstappen finished second in the Sprint Qualifying race at Interlagos, having been beaten off the line by Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas as the Finn chose the Soft tyre compound for the 24-lap race.

But it was the performance of Lewis Hamilton that caught the eye of the Dutch driver, with Verstappen seen touching the rear wing of Hamilton's car in parc ferme after Friday's qualifying - an action that netted him an investigation and a €50,000 fine.

Asked about what he had spotted that caught his attention on the rear wing, Verstappen explained that Red Bull have been harbouring suspicions about that area of the Mercedes for some time.

"I just look at the rear wing and there is clearly something going on," Verstappen told Sky Sports.

"We have our suspicions that something is going on there. At the beginning of the year, we all had to change our rear wings, with the pillar at the back of [it], basically.

"I think there's something going on with the main plane that is opening up and giving them more top speed."

Verstappen now leads Hamilton by 21 points in the championship standings.