Max Verstappen set an incredible pole result at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix; the Dutchman climbed the table from a pit-lane start to a podium position finishing P3 at Interlagos. Max Verstappen started the Sunday’s F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix 2025 from the pit-lane with a fresh engine and a completely new set-up to his Red Bull at Interlagos.
Why did Max Verstappen start from the pit lane in F1 Brazilian GP 2025?
Max Verstappen did not take part in the formation lap to warm his tires, nor did he start from the lineup grid giving him a major disadvantage as he was not permitted to leave the pits until the last car in the field had passed by a certain point. He was signalled by a green light on the track that permitted him to start the race.
However, this disadvantage would make him avoid any messy incidents on turn 1 or the opening lap at a circuit where it’s known for its dramatic events.
Having a gain in the early start of his race, he was dropped down in the table again after being forced to make an early pit stop due to a tire puncture. The Dutchman’s race from there was truly impressive and saw him challenge Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli for P2 in the finishing stages of the race.
Verstappen secured a successful P3 podium from the pit-lane, still being in competition for the World Drivers Championship along with McLaren’s Lando Norris who secured a pole position and Oscar Piastri who came P5.
“I think the race was quite full on – a lot of action,” the four-time World Champion summarised afterwards. “I had to overtake some cars, of course, coming from the pit lane. I think our pace was quite strong over all the stints.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to know fully with traffic and stuff, but to be on the podium from the pit lane… I didn’t expect that at all, even with a puncture as well at the beginning of the race. That’s why we had to box again.”
“It’s an incredible result for us so I’m very happy with that, and just very proud of everyone within the team as well. Yesterday was very tough for us, but we never give up. We always try to improve and try to find more lap time, and luckily, we found that again today.”
The results have taken Red Bull third place in the Team’s Championship, while still adding 341 points to his tally in the drivers’ championship.
Verstappen is currently 49- points adrift of the Championship leader Lando Norris and 25- points behind Oscar Piastri in second, still fighting strongly for the championship title.
“It’s too many points to really have a proper chance at that, I think,” said Verstappen. “If you look at the whole season, we gave away too many points from the beginning until the middle of the season.”
Watch: Brazilian GP 2025 Race Highlights
What is the best-ever finish in an F1 grand prix from a pit-lane?
The best-ever finish in an F1 grand prix from a pit-lane is P3. It was achieved by Jarno Trulli in Australia in 2009, by Sebastian Vettel in Abu Dhabi in 2012, then again by Lewis Hamilton in Hungary in 2014.
From a pit-lane start to a P3 podium, the race was incredibly stunning from Max Verstappen, even by the Red Bull team’s own standards. Verstappen was voted the “Driver of the Day” by 56.7% of the viewers. He may not have been the race victor, but he was a runaway winner with the fans.
Written by: Atin Kevin Fernandez.