Verstappen follows Premier League during São Paulo qualifying delay

Qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos was delayed by more than an hour by heavy rain, and Max Verstappen spent the wait watching football. With a replacement engine, he was starting from the back of the grid, so his qualifying result made no difference to his race position.

Verstappen told Viaplay he had lost twelve hours of his life that he would never get back, and said he had been following Nottingham Forest against Manchester City. He asked for the score, which had moved to 3-1 in Forest's favour, and joked that his press officer, Anna, was unhappy because she supports City.

Asked about Sunday's race, where rain was also forecast, Verstappen said the conditions did not matter to him and that the goal was still to score points, although he felt the overtake mode at Interlagos was not especially powerful.