Mekies downplays Verstappen grid penalty impact in Brazil

Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies has played down the suggestion that Max Verstappen's unplanned power unit change cost him victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Verstappen recovered from 21st to second, but McLaren's Lando Norris was faster on the day, and Mekies said Norris and McLaren were the quickest combination in the conditions.

Verstappen was seven seconds behind Norris after the first pit stop, when McLaren switched to slicks, and the gap grew to almost 15 seconds by the finish. Mekies said it was unclear how much more competitive Red Bull could have been without the problem that affected Verstappen's car balance midway through the race, and the team needed to analyse the time lost.

Mekies added that Verstappen's comeback still exceeded the team's internal expectations, noting that no simulation would have predicted a climb from 21st to second.