Max Verstappen feels that anything can happen in the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP after he qualified in P2 behind Haas' Kevin Magnussen in a rain-hit qualifying session.
The Dutchman had the fastest car during FP1 but was not able to repeat that during the wet qualifying session in which Magnussen pipped the whole field for the provisional pole with his first lap in Q3.
The Dane's cause was aided by George Russell, who beached his car after going off track and forcing a Red Flag situation. After that, the rain got heavier and Magnussen shocked quite a few by getting pole position for the Sprint race.
Despite not being on pole, Max Verstappen seemed calm heading into the 100km dash to the finish line on Saturday. After all, it will be his 14th front-row start of the season, equalling the number of wins he has already notched up in the 2022 season.
When asked to explain what went wrong for him in his quest for pole by presenter Naomi Schiff during the post-session interview in Parc-ferme, Max Verstappen said:
"Well, we knew that it was going to be that one lap because there was the potential rain. And I think I was the fourth or fifth car and I locked up in Turn 8. So, that, of course, cost me pole today."
The Dutchman further said:
"But still, you know, when compared to the proper opposition for tomorrow, it's looking good and you know, in these conditions, anything can happen. We're still up front which is the most important."
When asked about the difficulty in dealing with the ever-varying conditions out on track, the reigning two-time F1 world champion said:
"Yeah, it was difficult. I mean, you have to find the limit of how much you can push but then also you don't want to have big mistakes and potentially drop out. We just stayed calm from Q1 to Q2. The Q3 was a little more of a lottery but nevertheless, still on the front row."
"Let's see how competitive we're going to be tomorrow"- Max Verstappen not planning to take it easy during 2022 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint
Despite having nothing major to play for in the remaining races of the season, Max Verstappen has no intentions of taking his foot off the pedal for the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint.
The Red Bull star driver has already sealed his second title and set a new record for most wins and points scored by a driver in a single season. However, he will not let his accomplishments affect his approach heading into the Sprint in Sao Paulo.
Speaking in his aforementioned interview with Naomi Schiff, the 25-year-old said:
"I will always try to have fun but I think the approach should always be the same. Let's see how competitive we're going to be tomorrow in the race but also the weather. I mean, I have no clue what's going to happen. But that makes Interlagos always very special for everyone."
The outcome of the Sprint race will determine the starting grid for Sunday's full-length feature race at Interlagos. Hence, one can expect Max Verstappen to be in maximum attack mode when the lights go out.