Verstappen defies all expectations: He regularly beats the simulator, says Mekies

Red Bull chose Interlagos to change its power unit components, with the circuit delivering plenty of action and overtaking opportunities every year. Even the team, however, had not anticipated the show Max Verstappen would put on. Its predictions were based on simulator results, but the simulator clearly does not know the Dutchman well enough.

Teams also use simulation tools to help select the optimal strategy. Different strategies produce different overall race times, and engineers can use those results to estimate the finishing position. But the simulator did not predict second place, even if everything went perfectly for Verstappen.

“As always,” team principal Laurent Mekies said with a smile. “I think no sim in the world will predict that you will go from P21 to P2 or that you get 14 places in five laps.”

Verstappen managed it, however, and unlike Lewis Hamilton, he did not start losing ground. “There is no sim able to do that. So, he’s beating the sim on a regular basis. Of course, it’s frustrating [to start 21st] because the pace seemed good on Friday and also on Saturday morning, and in some respects in Q1 when we let him qualify. But it’s part of the game, you know.”

When drafting the regulations, the FIA increased the power unit allocation from the usual three to four, but the allocation should have been a little higher still in the first year of the rules. Either way, the same rules apply to everyone.

“It’s easy to forget it’s the first year with the power unit. And the guys have been doing an extraordinary job, and we take the first penalty with Max this weekend, and that’s what it is. It was not planned; we had a small issue on Friday that forced us to do so. But that’s what it is,” sighed Mekies, a little disappointed but still proud of his engine department.