Verstappen Sets Sights on Surprising McLaren Duo at Interlagos

Verstappen Eyes Another Interlagos Triumph

Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, remains the figure to beat as he trails the championship by 36 points to Lando Norris of McLaren, who leads the standings heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver is chasing his third consecutive win at Brazil’s Formula 1 race.

Verstappen has previously won at Interlagos in 2019, 2023 and 2024. Last year he staged a dramatic comeback from P17 under heavy rain to take the victory, while Norris finished sixth, keeping the title race alive.

This year the balance is shifting: Verstappen has moved from hunter to rival as McLaren’s duo enjoy a points cushion. Norris, after his Mexico win, briefly reclaimed the lead from his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri by a single point (357 to 356), with four races remaining. Verstappen has won three races and stood on the podium six times in the last six events, reducing a large gap since August.

Special Place

Verstappen called Interlagos a special place, noting the track’s excitement and the Brazilian roots of his partner, with a hint that rain could spark ferocious racing yet again. He also mentioned his family ties, saying his relatives on his partner’s side are from Brazil, which adds an extra thrill to the weekend.

The Dutch driver, who is preparing to race in Brazil with his family, hinted at wearing a distinctive helmet for the weekend and highlighted the historic value and emotional pull the track holds for him.

Team principal Andrea Stella of McLaren, after Norris’s Mexico win, said the team enters the final four races with confidence and readiness to extract more performance from the car, aware that some potential pace has been left in the garage in recent races.

With Piastri adapting to new setup changes despite Norris’s progress, the battle for second in the constructors’ standings remains intense as Ferrari and Mercedes close in behind Red Bull.

As rain is anticipated, Interlagos is expected to deliver a weekend full of excitement for fans of the top class, with results that could defy expectations and deliver heavy drama.

Late Threat

Stella said, “We enter these races with a greater understanding of how to extract performance from our car consistently, because over the four races before Mexico we left some performance in the garage.”

After grappling with grip issues at McLaren, Piastri found a way to adapt to the updates and feels perhaps in a better position than many observers thought, even with Norris outpacing him in several one-lap battles.

The Italian added that the threat in the closing moments is not only Verstappen, but also Ferrari and Mercedes as three teams contest the runner-up spot in the standings, with four races remaining that could flip the balance on any given day.

Red Bull still leads the constructors’ standings with 713 points as the season nears its end, but Ferrari and Mercedes chase closely, while Renault? No—Red Bull remains the focus for this weekend’s battles with McLaren.

Haas’s absence notwithstanding, the grid is set for a volatile finish as teams push to refine their setups for the 2026 evolution in mind and a title fight that refuses to yield the spotlight.

And as the skies threaten, the race in Brazil is shaping up to be less predictable than a rainstorm in the Amazon, with a touch of nostalgia and a lot of adrenaline in play.

Verstappen: “I will wear a very distinctive helmet for this race.”

“It’s a place with a rich history and great memories for me, and I’ve always loved racing on this legendary circuit.”

In sum, the Brazilian GP promises to test strategy, weather, and nerve as Verstappen presses the attack on Norris and Piastri, while McLaren fights to retain its newfound leadership in the title chase.

Punchline time: If you thought the weather forecast was dramatic, wait until Verstappen finds a dry line in the wet—Interlagos isn’t just a race, it’s a weather forecast with a halo of chaos. Punchline 2: In a season where rain becomes a co-driver, Brazil might just invent a new sport: precision driving through a tropical aquarium.