Max Verstappen has been the undisputed king of Formula 1. He won a chaotic, rain-lashed Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, roaring back from 17th on the grid to reignite his push for a fourth successive world title. The Red Bull driver finished ahead of Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who benefited from the race’s earlier red flag, while championship challenger and polesitter Lando Norris finished sixth in his McLaren.
Verstappen’s victory was his first in a grand prix since June in Spain. He currently leads the championship by 62 points with three races remaining. Alpine’s reward was a jump from ninth to sixth place in the constructors’ championship, which was reputedly worth $50 million. Norris, who struggled to find his typical pace, finished sixth ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.
Max Verstappen’s victory came on the same day that he broke Michael Schumacher’s record of leading the drivers’ standings for 896 days, while many of his competitors faced post-race investigations for a variety of sports infractions. Following a wet and frantic qualifying session, Lance Stroll set the tone by spinning out in his Aston Martin on the formation lap, resulting in a delayed second start, after which Norris raced away without a green light.
Max Verstappen shuts down critics in Brazil
Along with Russell and both RB drivers, faced a post-race enquiry. The large Sunday audience, which set an Interlagos weekend record of 291,717, waited patiently as Lando Norris eventually led a third formation lap before Russell beat him to the start. Norris took second place ahead of Tsunoda on a hectic first lap, while Verstappen climbed from 17th to 11th. He passed Hamilton for 10th on lap two as light rain poured. By lap six, Verstappen was in ninth place.
Max Verstappen said, “My emotions have been a rollercoaster today – that unlucky qualifying and starting 17th made it such a tough race, but we stayed out of trouble, made the right calls and it is unbelievable to win here from so far back. “What a day,” said a beaming Ocon. “After this difficult season, it’s so nice to drive here and the rain levelled out the performance so I am very happy.”
