Max Verstappen heads to this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos with a changed strategic challenge, after tire supplier Pirelli opted for a softer range of compounds and parts of the São Paulo circuit received fresh asphalt, GPFans reported.
The race weekend at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace runs from Friday, Nov. 6 through Sunday, Nov. 8 and forms the 20th round of the Formula 1 season. Kimi Antonelli secured the world championship at the Mexico City Grand Prix last Sunday with 380 points, but Verstappen still has plenty at stake: the Red Bull driver took his third win of the season in Mexico and moved into second in the standings with 261 points, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton on 259 and George Russell on 250.
Softer Pirelli compounds shift the strategy picture in São Paulo
For the race weekend at the 4.309-kilometer, 15-corner circuit, Pirelli is supplying the C3 as the hard tire, the C4 as the medium and the C5 as the soft compound — one step softer than last season, when the C2, C3 and C4 were used, GPFans reported. Drivers must keep one set of the C5 for Saturday’s qualifying, while at least one set of the C3 and one set of the C4 must be saved for Sunday’s race, which starts at 18:00 Dutch time.
The softest C5 tire was also used at last weekend’s Mexico Grand Prix, where Antonelli ran a 43-lap stint on it after Hamilton had earlier gone 44 laps on the same rubber in Singapore. Pirelli’s choice of softer rubber follows last year’s findings at Interlagos, when tire wear played a major role and a two-stop strategy proved most effective: among the 17 cars that finished, there were 37 pit stops and seven different strategies. According to Pirelli, the C3 and C4, despite showing significant wear, still allowed competitive stints.
Fresh asphalt between turns 3-5 and 8-9 adds another variable
Beyond the softer tire selection, teams also face a modified surface. Since the previous edition of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the asphalt has been renewed in two specific places: between turns 3 and 5 and between turns 8 and 9. Pirelli said the new layers could affect grip levels and how the track evolves over the weekend, particularly regarding tire wear during the longer runs in free practice.
The tire supplier stressed that finding the right balance between pure speed over a single qualifying lap and managing the tires during the race is one of the key challenges. Over a full lap at Interlagos, forces on the front and rear axles are evenly distributed, and the combination of fast corners and long straights does not place extreme demands on the tire construction, Pirelli said.
Rain threat looms over qualifying and the race
Another uncertain factor in São Paulo is the weather. Pirelli noted that conditions at this time of year are traditionally very changeable around the circuit, with significant temperature swings and regular rain showers. Preliminary forecasts call for a chance of precipitation during both Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race, meaning teams must be ready to switch to intermediates and full wet tires.
If it does rain, Verstappen can look back on strong memories at the Brazilian venue. The Red Bull driver has won at Interlagos three times — in 2019, 2023 and 2024 — and made a particularly big impression with his most recent victory on a soaking-wet track. Two years ago, he started 17th after a grid penalty and fought his way to the top step of the podium in pouring rain. Only Michael Schumacher, with four wins at the circuit, has won this Grand Prix more often.
Verstappen’s Interlagos history runs back a decade
TVgids.nl recalled that in 2016, in soaking conditions, he drove from 16th on the grid to third, and he repeated a version of that feat in 2024 by going from 17th to the win. F1maximaal quoted Verstappen calling Interlagos “a fantastic track” where he has already put on overtaking races and where the races are “often crazy, especially because of the weather.”
Asked at the FIA press conference about the weather forecasts, Verstappen said the succession of corners, high tire wear and other factors make it “a race with a thousand unknowns.” Asked whether he has confidence in the RB22 if it becomes a wet race, he said: “I would say we won’t have software problems.” He added that there is no sprint race this year, so “we have more time to prepare.”
Verstappen explains championship second-place push
With the title already decided, the fight for second place in the championship remains tight. Verstappen overtook Russell and Hamilton in the standings after Mexico, and F1maximaal quoted him calling second place “a big surprise” but one he has earned by never giving up: “I have always given everything, even if that means finishing sixth.” He said the team never gave up and has kept finding improvements, which turned the season around.
The São Paulo weekend closes a triple-header that began in Austin and continued in Mexico City, De Telegraaf reported. After a weekend off, the season is scheduled to finish with a final three-race stretch in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The Dutch-time schedule was: first practice Friday at 16:30, second practice at 20:00, third practice Saturday at 15:30, qualifying at 19:00, and the race Sunday, Nov. 8 at 18:00.
What comes next at Interlagos
The next confirmed checkpoint is Sunday’s race at 18:00 Dutch time, with Verstappen chasing a fourth win of the season at a circuit where his wet-weather and recovery drives have become part of the track’s lore.
