Red Bull hopes McLaren running car too low in Brazil

Red Bull is hoping McLaren have gambled too extremely with its car setup at the Brazilian GP.

The iconic Interlagos circuit has been re-asphalted for the 2024 edition, but drivers including championship leader Max Verstappen - P4 on the grid for Saturday’s sprint - report that "they’ve made the track even bumpier".

"Our car doesn’t like that at all," said the Dutchman. "We’re just jumping around. And if we’re already this far away on one lap, that isn’t good for the races.

"There’s also a grid penalty waiting for me," Verstappen added, referring to his new Honda engine. "I’ve got a lot of work to do."

His father Jos, back in the paddock after a conspicuous recent absence, was more scathing of Red Bull’s performance. "Fourth is not good enough," he told Viaplay.

"In one corner he has understeer, in the next he’s close to oversteer. There is simply no balance in that car," Jos Verstappen added. "He told me ’the car just doesn’t work’."

One hope for the trailing Ferrari and Red Bull is that McLaren is running its car too low to the ground - boosting laptimes but risking excessive wear to the underbody that could ultimately result in disqualifications.

"When the McLarens went past, we were treated to a fireworks display," joked Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur agreed: "If everyone ran as low as McLaren did in the practice session, they wouldn’t legally make it through the sprint."

For now, though, McLaren is looking dominant - with Verstappen’s championship rival Lando Norris P2 for the sprint behind his teammate Oscar Piastri.

Team boss Andrea Stella made clear that team orders may be in play on Saturday.

"Lando is the driver that is in contention for the drivers’ championship, so it’s natural that we are going to support Lando," he said.

Piastri revealed that he may need to give up the sprint win. "Yes," said the Australian. "I’ve said that I would from when we first had these discussions.

"It would be nice to win, but it’s one point difference and it’s not the main race, so we’ll see."

Another spark of hope for Verstappen and Red Bull is the pressure that is clearing showing on Norris. The 24-year-old snapped at an interviewer on Friday with "I don’t care" and "I hate these questions" when asked about Verstappen’s P4 qualifying spot.

"It was just a normal question from a journalist," observed former F1 driver Christijan Albers.

Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos agrees, telling Ziggo Sport: "You can see that Lando is getting very irritated by these questions about Max.

"He says ’I’m not thinking about Max’. Of course he’s thinking about Max!" Doornbos laughed.