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Max Verstappen believes he has a good chance of increasing his 2022 F1 win record to 15 at this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The Dutchman broke the previous record number of wins in a single season last time out in Mexico City and now has two opportunities to extend that.
Red Bull has enjoyed a strong run of form, winning the last nine races. It has been beaten to the top step just three times since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Round 4 of the season.
That has seen it wrap up both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, the former coming following the Japanese Grand Prix, and the latter at the United States Grand Prix.
“I think we have a good chance,” Verstappen said of his prospects in Interlagos this weekend.
“Of course, the car’s quick and I think this track normally should be good for us.”
Verstappen was successful in Brazil in 2019, taking pole position and winning from Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton had finished third on the road, but a five-second penalty for a clash with Alex Albon following a late Safety Car saw him relegated to seventh.
The Dutchman was second last year after an inspired drive from Hamilton saw him scythe his way through the field at the height of a bitter championship battle.
While there is no such pressure this time around, it remains a venue Verstappen enjoys.
“It’s an amazing track,” he said.
“There are not many corners, but it’s just the shape, the camber of the corners, just the whole atmosphere around here – the history, the fans show they love Formula 1, there’s a lot of passion.
“So I think we all love coming here and, of course, winning was an amazing feeling. But even not being on the podium, and in general, is always super nice.”
The 2022 world champion-elect highlighted the opening corner as his favourite, a left-hander that falls downhill before the circuit cuts back to the right at the foot of the descent.
“Just a shame that some of the kerbs, they’ve been changed a little bit,” he lamented.
“I remember when I did my Friday practice here [with Toro Rosso in 2014], we still had a few of the old kerbs which were a bit flatter, and you could really run them – like in Turn 2, Turn 8 I think it is.
“It just makes a little bit more special, but yeah, we don’t have them anymore.”
Across the garage, team-mate Sergio Perez lies second in the drivers’ championship, just five points clear of Charles Leclerc.
He was left disappointed after finishing third in Mexico City and is looking for improvement this weekend.
“We just want to keep the momentum going,” Perez said.
“Mexico, we had too many issues on the weekend. I really thought that a much better result was in the cards.
“So hopefully, it can be a clean weekend with no issues and we can show on a true pace that we’ve had for the last few races.”
Opening practice for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix begins at 12:30 local time on Friday (16:30 BST/10:30 ET/02:30 AEDT Saturday).
