Max Verstappen Went From P21 to P2 and Still Says He Lost 12 Hours

Max Verstappen finished second in the F1 São Paulo GP after starting 21st, but says the “12 hours” he lost at the track in qualifying are still gone.After making it to Q2, Red Bull’s Verstappen jumped out of the car and skipped the rest of F1 São Paulo GP qualifying because he had a 30-place grid penalty. Afterward, he joked about wasting 12 hours.Verstappen spent part of it watching the Premier League soccer match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. Qualifying had been delayed by the weather.Verstappen Stuck to His “12 Hours” LineHis mind was already on the race, and he stuck to his statement after the Grand Prix. “Well, you’d never get those hours back,” said Verstappen. “I mean, those 12 hours are gone. No, I said yesterday because I was starting last, and I lost 12 hours of my life being at the track. I’m never going to get them back. I mean, those are gone.“Yeah, I mean, I could have started 22nd. You look at the positive thing. I could have also started, actually, 20th. But yeah, I mean, you can’t get them back. They’re lost, they’re gone. So, it’s unlucky, isn’t it? It’s tough,” Verstappen said.Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton had been wary of starting from the back and moving forward without DRS, but the greasy conditions from the rain helped both make good starts. Verstappen took a few laps to find his rhythm.Max Verstappen leads Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar in the F1 São Paulo GP. Image Credit: Colin McMaster/LAT Images via Getty Images/Red Bull Content PoolVerstappen Wants to Start Further Up Front Next YearOnce he had it, he climbed into the podium fight and finished second to Lando Norris. Even after another strong drive from the back, Verstappen would rather start at the front.“Yeah, well, to be honest with you, I like starting well,” said Verstappen. “I like races like this, but next year, let’s try and just start a bit further up front, please. That would be great to start with. I guess also experience helps a lot over the years, even dealing with difficulties during the race or knowing when not to risk it too much.“I guess that also helped today because it was definitely not a straightforward race for me, with the car. But we still pulled out a good result. We wanted to score points, and we scored a good amount of points.“This track in the past has always been good to me. Since I basically started racing here, I enjoy coming here. So, it’s always, like I said, been kind to me, and sometimes it just clicks more naturally than at other tracks as well,” Verstappen said.