Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has praised Ferrari rival Lewis Hamilton for one thing he was “very good” at during the 2026 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having failed to replicate the Briton due to his own mistake.

Verstappen and Hamilton enjoyed very contrasting races at Interlagos as they charged from the back of the grid owing to engine change penalties. Red Bull changed Verstappen’s entire power unit prior to qualifying, and Ferrari also ultimately changed Hamilton’s entire PU as he faced further issues following an ICE change.

Max Verstappen admits his ‘mistake’ with the clutch at the start of the Sao Paulo GP

Verstappen, in contrast, had a much steadier start to his Sao Paulo GP, as the sea did not part as easily as it did when he won at Interlagos from P17 on the grid in 2023. But the Dutchman soon took advantage of his car being far superior to those in the midfield, and he ultimately went on to finish the 2026 meeting in P2.

Speaking after the race at Interlagos last Sunday, Verstappen owned up to his basic mistake of holding the clutch paddle in the wrong position for his poor start to the Sao Paulo GP. The Red Bull racer believes his error held him back as he watched Hamilton carve his way through the midfield pack after a flying launch.

Verstappen said, via quotes by RacingNews365: “To be honest, I had a very slow reaction time off the line because I was holding the clutch wrong. So, I had to react very quickly. Then I was slow off the line, and that was my mistake.

“But then I just got a bit unlucky in the first three corners, where it was just like a traffic jam. There were three or four cars in front, blocking basically how much I could pass. Actually, Lewis had a very good first lap – he could really get through those cars.

“So, I was a little bit disappointed that I couldn’t make the same headway. But then, within two laps, I was just flying by cars, almost every corner. We had a lot more grip, I guess, than most in the midfield. I don’t know what lap I was in the top-10, but it all happened very quickly.”

Hamilton gained 11 places on the opening lap of the Sao Paulo GP alone, but his progress stalled once the Briton then had to yield one of those positions back to Oliver Bearman of Haas after completing the move beyond track limits. Verstappen, in contrast, rose from P21 on the grid into P13 on the first lap of the race.

The end of Lap 3/71 even then saw Verstappen get ahead of Hamilton, as the four-time F1 champion took advantage of his long-time rival having a slide as he applied the throttle out of Juncao (Turn 12).

Verstappen did not need a second invitation to punish Hamilton’s moment, and the Red Bull driver did not need any invitations to then put moves on McLaren star Oscar Piastri and Williams’ Alex Albon on the Reta Oposta to the climb up to P7 on Lap 5.

The Dutchman initially tried to pass the Australian on the outside of Turn 1 but could not complete the pass through the Senna S. Yet their runs through the iconic downhill turns, and a big snap of oversteer for Piastri in Curva do Sol (Turn 3), gave Verstappen the better exit and a chance to get past Albon in Descida do Lago.

Whether Verstappen making a better start without his basic error of holding the clutch paddle in the wrong position would have made much difference to his race will always be unknown, but it clearly did not hold him back.