Why Max Verstappen was so quick in the rain at Interlagos

Five laps into the 2026 São Paulo Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was already seventh. He had started 21st, and the gains that set up his run to second at Interlagos came while the field was still on intermediates. On his way to the grid, he had thought grip was low. Once he had other cars around him, he realised how much grip his Red Bull had relative to theirs.

That distinction helps explain why Verstappen is so good in the rain. A corner can feel slippery and still offer enough grip to pass. The skill is finding where the tyres will hold, then judging how much of that grip is available for braking, turning or accelerating before committing to the move.

Why the outside line can work in the wet

The shortest route through a corner is only useful if the tyres can hold it at speed. In the rain, rubber laid down on the usual line can make it slippery. A wider arc can take the driver onto asphalt with more grip and open up the exit, where the driver can unwind the steering and feed in power. The calculation changes again as cars clear water and a dry line emerges.

Verstappen pointed to the number of usable lines at Interlagos after the 2026 race. The run from the Senna S through Curva do Sol, covered in our Interlagos circuit guide, gave him one of his clearest examples a decade earlier. In 2016 he went around the outside of Nico Rosberg at Curva do Sol. Verstappen also explained after that race that spray made it difficult to see directly behind other cars. Moving off their line could give him a clearer view as well as another patch of track to work with.

What Verstappen learnt in a kart

After the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen recalled how his father, Jos, would stand on the kart track and point out different lines for him to try in the wet. He was six or seven. He also credited informal winter driving with friends, where sliding and experimenting were part of trying to beat each other.

Those repetitions help explain the confidence he spoke about in 2026. Trying another line gives a driver a reference for how the car responds when the surface changes. In a race, that can inform a decision to brake a little earlier, carry speed around the outside or wait until the steering is straighter before accelerating. Verstappen also credited experience with helping him recognise when to leave more margin.

How much the car and tyres still matter

In 2024, staying out before the red flag put Verstappen second and let Red Bull change his tyres during the stoppage. He still had to pass Esteban Ocon. He took the inside at Turn 1 on a later restart and went on to win by 19.477 seconds. The inside move and the outside pass on Rosberg show how the opportunity can change from one corner and set of conditions to the next.

In 2026 the balance Verstappen had trusted in the opening stint went away after he switched to slicks, and he said it felt very different even when he returned to intermediates. He finished 14.602 seconds behind Lando Norris. That made the opening stint the clearest example of his advantage that afternoon. While the Red Bull was responding predictably, he could use parts of the track that gave him room to pass and make up ground before the field spread out.