Between all the important news, you can miss quite a few things during a Grand Prix weekend. Don’t worry, F1Maximaal.nl will keep you informed of all the sense and nonsense from the world of Formula 1 in the Meanwhile in F1 section.
Photo finish of Alonso and Pérez shown
Fernando Alonso held out surprisingly long against Sergio Pérez in Brazil, but the Mexican came alongside in the penultimate round. Alonso did not leave it at that and overtook the RB19 again on the last lap. It resulted in a drag race to start-finish, and the difference can be clearly seen in the photo-finish below. Pérez rode about four meters behind the 42-year-old veteran.
Deafening cheers for Hamilton with the Brazilian flag
Lewis Hamilton, who is an honorary Brazilian citizen, had a Brazilian flag with him during the drivers’ parade and he flew it proudly as he took a lap around the circuit. The fans appreciated that and rewarded him with deafening cheers.
Horner guesses F1 circuits: ‘Looks like a pig lying on its back’
Christian Horner tried to guess which circuits were ahead of him with the help of some track maps. The Red Bull Racing team boss is going well for the first few circuits, although he calls the circuit in Las Vegas ‘a pig lying on its back’. The Imola circuit causes some more problems for the Brit.
Crash of Alonso and Ocon depicted
On Friday, Fernando Alonso took fourth starting position for the Grand Prix, but in the Sprint Shootout the Spaniard was soon finished after Esteban Ocon had a moment of upset and took the Aston Martin on the way to the wall. Alonso continued as number fifteen, but the damage was too extensive to be able to drive.
Aston Martin mechanic tinkers with Alonso’s car in an unorthodox manner
Fernando Alonso was hit by former teammate Esteban Ocon in the Sprint Shootout. Alonso survived SQ1, so his team quickly tried to work on the car to ensure that the Spaniard could still take action in SQ2. That didn’t work, so the Aston Martin drivers start the sprint race from the back. However, based on the images, it cannot be ruled out that Lance Stroll is looking for the accelerator pedal, which the Canadian managed to find on Friday.
Honorary citizen Hamilton addresses fans in Portuguese
Lewis Hamilton has been an honorary citizen of Brazil for a year now and has been practicing his Portuguese in the meantime. In a video from Mercedes, he shows his fans what he has already learned. The seven-time world champion can also say in Portuguese that he loves racing in São Paolo.
On board with Verstappen as Interlagos turns into apocalyptic circuit
The weather conditions changed very quickly during qualifying for the São Paolo Grand Prix and it almost became night during Q3, the sky was so dark. Ride with Max Verstappen to see how quickly the weather changes!
Stroll and Verstappen chat after qualifying: ‘It’s just called Maxsplaining, Lance!’
Lance Stroll completed the top three of qualifying on Friday after Q3 ended early. Afterwards he had a nice chat with Max Verstappen, who likes to explain things to his fellow drivers. Stroll also had to deal with it this time. “It’s just called Maxsplaining, Lance!” Red Bull Racing joked on its official channels.
São Paulo Grand Prix, the newest night race on the F1 calendar?
São Paulo already had plenty in store for the drivers on the first day of the race weekend. The rain showers had been on the rain radar since the start of the day and it was only a matter of time before they reached the circuit, but the extent to which they eventually happened came as a surprise to everyone. The dark gray clouds appeared suddenly above the circuit, and the influence was so great that Fernando Alonso briefly began to wonder whether it was not already midnight. Fortunately for the Spaniard, Singapore will host the only night race for the time being, but who knows!
Tribune loses roof due to intense circumstances in São Paulo
The heavy rain shower that brought an abrupt end to qualifying seemed to destroy much more than the drivers’ chances. One of the roofs of the stands on the track also fell victim to the strong gusts of wind, and flying rubbish here and there even caused danger to those present on the circuit. Fortunately, everyone seems to be okay for the time being, and the damage is limited to the roof of the stands.
Pérez tests football knowledge and guesses Brazilian heroes
The action is now in full swing in São Paulo and there is no shortage of enthusiasm among the Brazilian fans. Sergio Pérez does not miss the opportunity to put his football knowledge to the test in an attempt to recognize as many Brazilian greats as possible. Surprisingly, the Mexican seemed to recognize most of it, and there were only three names he couldn’t remember.
Piastri and Alonso exchange helmets: ‘I already had his kart, now his helmet too!’
Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso exchange their helmets prior to the Brazilian Grand Prix and the Australian seems to be very happy with that. When Piastri was still karting, he already drove Alonso’s kart, and now he can also add a helmet of the two-time world champion to his collection. “I already had his kart, now his helmet too!” Piastri said on his official channels.
Hamilton honors Senna with a very special outfit
Lewis Hamilton is known for his special clothing style, but in Brazil the seven-time world champion and honorary citizen of Brazil went even further. A photo of Ayrton Senna was painted on the back of his leather jacket. His helmet will have the colors of Brazil this weekend.
Leclerc is amazed at the Senna Institute in São Paolo
Charles Leclerc was invited by Instituto Ayrton Senna, the institution of the F1 legend, to take a look. The Monegasque was amazed when he was allowed to view and even hold Senna’s car, helmet and more. It was a special day for Leclerc.
Verstappen shares plans for the sprint race
The last sprint race of the season is scheduled for this weekend, and Verstappen is now releasing his plan for this short Saturday race: ‘Go full speed, and don’t take your foot off the accelerator!’
Mick Schumacher with Fast & F1urious video in Tokyo
Formula 1 was recently in Japan, and as reserve driver Mick Schumacher must also be there. If you have a driver who doesn’t have too much to do, it would be better to use him for some promotional work, Mercedes must have thought. It resulted in the following beautiful Fast & F1urious film, with strong Paul Walker vibes.
Looking back at Verstappen’s crazy rain race in 2016
Max Verstappen has already achieved many special achievements, but a race that is still etched in the memory of many Formula 1 fans is the rain race in Brazil in 2016. For example, Verstappen overtook Nico Rosberg from the outside in a phenomenal way and flew he went from sixteenth to third position in a short time in the final phase, but this drift was also certain.
Rusk with mice at Williams: Vowles has become a father
There is a party to celebrate at Williams, team boss James Vowles has become a father. His wife, Rachel, gave birth to a baby girl. Williams congratulates her team boss through her official channels and shares a sweet photo of the couple and their newborn child.
Verstappen takes his role as caddy seriously and gives Pérez a small massage
Max Verstappen himself has often stated that he has nothing to do with golf. Yet the Red Bull Racing driver plays the role of caddy well. He’s even so nice that he gives teammate Sergio Pérez a little massage.
Verstappen surprised in role as Pérez’s caddy: ‘What should I get for him?’
Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez have competed against a professional golfer. Verstappen briefly played the role of caddy, the golfer’s assistant, but that did not go completely smoothly. The Dutchman didn’t know which club to give to his teammate, so he just asked.
Red Bull and AlphaTauri drivers give each other language lessons
In a new video on Red Bull Racing’s official Instagram channel, Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez and AlphaTauri drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are challenged to translate certain racing terms into their own languages. Terms such as ‘steering wheel’ and ‘racing suit’ are translated by the drivers into Dutch, Spanish and Japanese.
Crash between Pérez and Leclerc filmed from the stands: disappointment clearly audible
The crash between Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc was a topic of discussion after the Mexican Grand Prix. After all, the home hero was out of the race in the first corner of the first lap. It is clear from the images recorded from the stands that the Mexican fans were disappointed.
Verstappen plays a special game and guesses quotes from a karting incident with Leclerc
Max Verstappen has played a very special game on TikTok. The Red Bull Racing driver had to guess the quotes from the interviews after a karting incident with Charles Leclerc. That interview went viral due to Verstappen’s anger and Leclerc’s special pronunciation of the word incident.
‘Ki ki ki’ and ‘ra ra ra’ make a comeback in interview with Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is known for his funny interviews and sometimes random statements, and he sometimes shouts ‘ki ki ki!’ and is accompanied by some other sounds. Since Ricciardo wasn’t in the mood for a while we haven’t heard it for a while, but after the good results at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix it made a comeback. Lando Norris completed Ricciardo’s slogan.
Verstappen makes Mexican fan happy: ‘But I don’t need her brother’
Prior to the GP weekend in Mexico, Red Bull feared for the safety of Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman can also count on the necessary support in the home country of his teammate Sergio Pérez. At Viaplay, a Mexican fan wanted to go to great lengths for a special tattoo. Verstappen complied with her request, but he kindly thanked her for her proposed consideration.
Crash Pérez looks familiar to Hamilton: ‘He imitated my action in Qatar’
Lewis Hamilton had to laugh in the cooldown room when he saw the images of Sergio Pérez’s crash. The Mercedes driver saw similarities between the Mexican’s crash and Hamilton’s crash in Qatar. The other incidents of the Mexican Grand Prix are also discussed in detail by the podium customers.
Verstappen teases Viaplay reporter with PSV – Ajax result: ‘5-2!’
Max Verstappen started the Mexican Grand Prix in a good mood. Earlier in the day, PSV managed to beat Ajax at home by a wide margin. The Red Bull Racing driver took his moment during a short interview with Viaplay reporter Chiel van Koldenhoven. “5-2!” Verstappen started the interview laughing, before answering questions about Sunday’s race.
