The São Paulo weather on grand prix Sunday was filled with rain and slick track conditions, but Max Verstappen braved the elements and drove one of the best races of the season. Starting from 17th on the grid, he managed to overtake seven cars on the opening lap and continued to gain places on his first set of intermediate (wet) tires.
A wild sequence of events saw multiple cars, including Lando Norris, pit on lap 28 out of 69 during a virtual safety car, but Verstappen opted to stay on the track. On lap 32, Franco Colapinto put his Williams car into the barriers and caused a red flag, essentially giving Verstappen a free tire change. This lucky break changed the course of the grand prix, and Verstappen passed Esteban Ocon for the race lead shortly after. He never looked back, as he went on to extend his gap to over 19 seconds from second place, and extended his drivers’ championship lead to 62 points over Lando Norris.
Verstappen’s dominance in Brazil illustrates why he is the best driver on the grid. In wet conditions, Formula 1 (F1) cars perform closer to each other, meaning that driver skills are more apparent. Verstappen’s ability to find grip in wet conditions and overtake cars on a regular basis are a testament to his natural talent and feel for his car.
In his post-race interview, Verstappen shared, “My emotions were [like] a rollercoaster, with qualifying being really unlikely with that red flag, starting P17 I knew it was going to be a very tough race … we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm, and we were flying. So all of these things together make that result possible but I think it’s unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid.”
Lando Norris, who started the race on pole, will be disappointed with his performance since he crossed the finish line in sixth, netting only eight points in the race. Entering the grand prix, Norris was coming off a sprint race victory on Saturday, which gave him a wave of momentum heading into the grand prix on Sunday.
Norris experienced both bad luck and poor execution during the grand prix, saying he was “just unlucky, [it’s] unfortunate sometimes it just [doesn’t go] your way … nothing we did wrong … that’s just life sometimes, [others] took a gamble and it paid off for them.”
Norris did admit he made a few mistakes after the restart: “I still made a couple of mistakes in the end, I locked the rears, I went off [and] I lost two positions… not a perfect race for me.”
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took second and third place for Alpine, which was the shocking headline following the race. Alpine moved from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ championship, and were seen celebrating in the pit lane following the great team results.
The next race will be held the week before Thanksgiving in Las Vegas, and Verstappen will have a chance to close the deal and secure his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship. It’ll be the second grand prix being held on the famous Vegas strip, and Verstappen will return as the defending champion.
If Verstappen wins a fourth drivers’ championship, he will join Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel in a three-way tie for fourth place in most drivers’ championships in F1 history. Lewis Hamilton is the only active driver with more drivers’ championships, winning seven.
