Max is a stud and Kimi still has it - What we learned from qualifying in Brazil
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
A lot of interesting things happened throughout the grid on Saturday at Interlagos and there were a lot of takeaways, so we distilled it down to the four things we've learned today!
Max Verstappen is a generational talent
This is general knowledge, but today was just another reminder of just how unbelievably quick Max Verstappen is, and how well-rounded he's become since his debut in 2015.
He beat Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, two of the sport's most accomplished drivers ever, and beat teammate Alex Albon by almost half a second. Verstappen has added the final piece that was missing in his repertoire, qualifying, and the rest of the grid should be very scared of him once he gets a car that's capable of winning consistently.
Kimi has plenty of life in him yet
He's been consistently out-qualified by teammate Antonio Giovinazzi since the summer break and he's yet to score a point since then as well. However, Kimi Raikkonen showed today what he's still capable of despite his age, as the 40-year-old qualified in ninth and will start in eighth for Alfa Romeo Racing.
The Finn can end his season as strongly as he started it, should Alfa's race pace allow for him to leave other midfield contenders behind. The start will be crucial, but Raikkonen has won his championship at Interlagos, so he should be comfortable driving around the track under pressure!
Pierre Gasly is still a heck of a driver
You might have forgotten because of the first half of the season he had, but Pierre Gasly is still a very talented driver. For some reason, it didn't work for him at Red Bull Racing, but since he's returned to familiar ground at Toro Rosso, he's been nothing short of excellent.
He's scored 14 points since the summer but this might have been his most impressive feat yet, qualifying in seventh and leading all midfield cars at Interlagos. He's secured his seat at Toro Rosso for 2020 and he's thoroughly deserved it.
Ferrari just had a bad week in the USA
Verstappen might have thought the jig was up for Ferrari since the United States, when the Italians lost a lot of pace shortly after Red Bull enquired about the rules regarding fuel flow into the engine.
However, although they didn't take pole position, they did show tremendous pace again in Brazil, with the SF90's setting the second and fourth-best times in qualifying, with Vettel being just one-tenth off pole position. He'll be fighting for the win on Sunday as he has been doing on every Sunday since the summer break (apart from in the USA).