With Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen 20th and 21st on the grid for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Sunday’s Formula 1 race promises to be fascinating, whatever the weather conditions.
Hamilton and Verstappen are two drivers who made memorable recoveries at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, a track where overtaking has always been easier than most.
In 2021, the seven-time world champion was excluded from the qualifying results due to a technical infraction, meaning he started the sprint from last; he worked his way up to fifth place. With a loss of five places on the grid for a new engine, Hamilton was 10th on the grand prix grid, but fought back to take the lead and prevailed in a titanic duel against Verstappen.
Three years later, the Dutchman was knocked out in Q2 on a wet Sunday morning and also received a five-place grid penalty for his sixth internal combustion engine, finishing 17th on the grid. Rain also impacted the race, but Verstappen rose to the occasion and comfortably passed Esteban Ocon for victory.
But the DRS system had facilitated Hamilton’s exceptional driving, and the overtaking mode which now features on the new F1 power units is not as decisive; the Interlagos route could actually make things worse.
When asked how easy overtaking would be compared to 2021, the Ferrari driver replied: “More difficult, because back then we obviously had a very long straight, and if you got close to it you had DRS, and maybe one car wouldn’t have it – whereas now everyone just opens their wings.
“I think overtaking will be very, very, very difficult. I’m not sure you’ll see the same kind of racing as in the past. But maybe the wet conditions will change that.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
“Now we don’t have DRS anymore,” admitted Verstappen. “And the overtaking mode is very limiting here because of the long straights, everyone drains the battery. So your difference in speed on the straight will be much less – a bit like in Mexico, really. So it will be much more difficult to overtake than usual.”
So what will Hamilton’s strategy be? “I don’t have one,” he replied. “Try to win, one way or another.”
Verstappen, meanwhile, is banking on a number of incidents if he wants to claim victory. “A lot of safety cars, so they can’t get away, it keeps coming back to me,” the Red Bull driver said. “We’ll see. I’m not really thinking about it. I’ll just start from the first round and see where I end up.”
He added: “I hope (with Lewis) we can clear the cars in front of us as quickly as possible. »
Of the 19 grands prix so far in F1 2026, only two races have been won outside the front row. Verstappen won from fifth on the grid in Mexico, despite practically being in the lead from the first lap, and Antonelli triumphed remarkably from 19th in Italy. But if the expected rain impacts the race, then the 2026 dry weather story will be meaningless.
Additional reporting by Isa Fernandes and Federico Faturos
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