Interlagos Insight

 

It’s Friday, and that means it’s time for the Brazilian Grand Prix!

While I freely admit to my past forecasting errors—I certainly didn't see George Russell winning Singapore from a mile off—I’m feeling confident about this weekend after getting the Texas Grand Prix right and the Mexico Grand Prix right for the first time in years; I am two for two.

Each race day, we visit our Senate Grand Prix social media database to solicit predictions from our clients and users. The results for São Paulo reveal where the confidence—and anxiety—lies:

Driver Prediction Percentage

Max Verstappen 35%

Lando Norris 32%

Charles Leclerc 30%

Oscar Piastri 2%

The headline here is the dramatic slide of Oscar Piastri. 

The Australian, who held the championship lead for most of the season, has seen his stock plummet in the eyes of the fans, garnering only 2% of the vote. This comes immediately after Lando Norris pipped him for the lead in Mexico, now sitting just one point clear (357 to 356).

The Pressure is Gone for Max

The incredible turnaround in Red Bull’s form is a testament to their engineering and the skill of the driver at the wheel. Max Verstappen, the four-time World Champion, is driving sublimely.

I believe he’s driving with very little pressure because he doesn’t feel he has to defend the title anymore. 

After his mid-season struggles, he's just attacking, racking up wins and points, and slowly but relentlessly closing the gap. 

This lack of title-defense pressure allows him to drive purely on instinct, which is what makes him so dangerous.

All of this has not gone unnoticed by Max, who is now the cool, seasoned veteran waiting for the pressure to break the young title rivals.

The unexpected strong showing for Charles Leclerc in our poll is also interesting. Leclerc's pace in the last two races has been undeniable, and with the high potential for rain and chaos in Brazil, his sublime driving style and Ferrari's strategic guts make him a massive threat this weekend.

And as always, when the lights go out and the drama unfolds, here at Senate Grand Prix, there is only one winner, and that's you, the race fans!