Max Verstappen appeared to have little trouble managing the pace at the front of the Interlagos race on Sunday, after pulling off a similar win in Saturday’s sprint event.
However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says it was far from straightforward as the team needed to ask conflicting things from its lead driver.
PLUS: The crucial lap that swung F1's Brazilian GP from Norris to Verstappen
“I think there was definitely a race,” explained Horner. “Lando took his best set of tyres at the start and his best shot was probably off the line.
“So, I was relieved to see Max keep the lead at the end of the first lap.
“But then it becomes a game of cat and mouse, because it's about looking after the tyres and not stressing them too much. You are telling the driver look after the tyres, but pull out a gap - and the tow here is pretty powerful.
“But just like in the sprint, Max managed it incredibly well and was able to start to pull a gap. We then pitted on the same lap as Lando, and we actually extended the lead through the pitstop to just over five seconds.
“Then, on the medium [tyre], he had everything under control in the last stint. In the end it was reasonably straightforward, but McLaren definitely have been, over the last few races, our closest competitor.”
Source: Autosport