Max Verstappen is keen to see Sergio Perez stay ahead of Charles Leclerc at the Brazilian Grand Prix as the Mexican battles for P2 in the World Championship.
Verstappen arrives into the penultimate event of the 2022 F1 season with the World Championship having long been sealed, while Red Bull have also wrapped up the Constructors’ crown.
Despite this, the Dutchman is no less enthusiastic and looks forward to returning to Sao Paolo.
“It’s always nice to be back in Brazil, it’s beautiful here and so rich in culture,” he said ahead of the weekend.
“Interlagos is a short track and with all the elevation changes and cambered corners, it’s a really cool track to drive. There’s obviously a lot of history at the track too, which I love.”
Verstappen hopes Perez stays ahead of Leclerc
The traditional schedule looks a little different for the event, with the third and final Sprint race of 2022 being held on Saturday.
This means that the drivers and teams have one practice session on Friday followed by a traditional qualifying hour, which decides the grid for the Sprint.
There is another chance to practice on Saturday morning before the Sprint takes place later on. The outcome sets the starting grid for Sunday’s main race.
Verstappen acknowledges that having less preparation time can pose a problem.
“The Sprint race set up this weekend means we only have a short practice window, so that always makes it a slightly more difficult, ensuring that the car is perfect and that we set up the car well with limited time,” he explained.
Ultimately, Verstappen hopes that teammate Perez can further boost his prospects of finishing second in the World Championship over the course of the event.
“As a team we want to finish first and second in the Championship so it’s important that we make sure Checo stays ahead of Charles,” the 25-year-old said.
