Max Verstappen wins bonkers Brazil race from 17th, Alpine take 2-3
Max Verstappen excels in dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix to win from 17th as Lando Norris falters.
Max Verstappen turned in a stunning drive from 17th to win a crazy Sao Paulo Grand Prix and strengthen his F1 championship bid, while Alpine claimed a shock double podium.
Red Bull’s Verstappen gained seven positions on the opening lap alone and was on another planet as he easily scythed his way up the order in the treacherous conditions to bring himself in contention for what seemed like an unlikely victory.
He was handed a massive boost when the race was red-flagged on Lap 33 after Franco Colapinto crashed heavily, enabling Verstappen, who had not pitted, to make a free tyre change during the suspension.
He had been sitting second behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon at that point, after race leaders George Russell and Lando Norris opted to pit just as an earlier Virtual Safety Car ended.
Following a rolling restart and second Safety Car, Verstappen immediately snatched the lead from Ocon to complete his back-to-front charge on Lap 44, diving down the inside of Turn 1.
From there, Verstappen pulled clear by nearly 20 seconds to claim his eighth win of the season, and first since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, capping off a masterful, statement performance which underlined why he is destined to become a four-time world champion.
Verstappen now leads the championship by 62 points, putting him on the brink of sealing a fourth drivers' crown in Las Vegas next time out.
Ocon led home Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly for a superb and unexpected double podium for the French squad, marking a rare moment of joy in what has otherwise been an incredibly challenging 2024 campaign.
On a crucial day in the title race, Norris failed to capitalise on his pole position as he suffered a disastrous slide down to sixth, behind Russell in fourth and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
McLaren’s decision to pit Norris before the red flag turned out to be an error with the benefit of hindsight, but the Briton also made mistakes. Norris ran wide at Turn 1 during a nightmare restart that saw him drop from fourth to seventh.
He could only gain one further position, courtesy of his McLaren team instructing teammate Oscar Piastri to move aside for the second time over the weekend.
Things could yet go from bad to worse for Norris and McLaren, with the championship hopeful facing a post-race investigation for a potential start procedure infringement.
Norris mistakenly pulled away from the grid to start a second formation lap after the race start had been aborted when Lance Stroll beached his Aston Martin in the gravel before the race had got underway.
Russell and RB pair Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will also be investigated over the same potential infringement.
Tsunoda took seventh ahead of Piastri, who was hit with a 10-second penalty for colliding with Lawson, who finished ninth ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crashed out at Turn 1, while Nico Hulkenberg became the first driver since 2007 to be shown a black-and-white flag after receiving help from marshals to push his Haas back onto the track after beaching it on a kerb.
Alex Albon, who qualified seventh, was left to rue what could have been after Williams were left with no option but to withdraw his car before the grand prix due to extensive damage sustained in his enormous Q3 shunt.
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