Formula 1: Max Verstappen stuns Brazilian Grand Prix, winning from 17th on grid

Norris, who started the wet and chaotic Sao Paulo race from pole position and 44 points behind Verstappen, finished sixth for McLaren.

The title gap has widened to 62 points, with three rounds remaining and 86 points still to be won.

If the results go his way, Verstappen could hit the championship jackpot in his next race on the floodlit Las Vegas Strip on November 23.

In a crash-strewn race that was shortened to 69 laps, stopped after 33 and restarted, Verstappen took his eighth win of the season – and one of the best of his career – with a time of 19.477 seconds and a bonus point for the fastest lap. .

“We stayed out of trouble, made the right decisions, stayed calm and flew, so it all came together to make this result possible,” Verstappen said.

“But I mean it’s incredible to win here while on the grid.”

Team principal Christian Horner praised a driving masterclass from one of the greats as the victory halted Red Bull’s disintegration and ended their Dutch driver’s 10-race losing streak dating back to June in Spain.

Amazing Alpine

Amid the chaos at Interlagos, Alpine scored a stunning total of points with Esteban Ocon second and Pierre Gasly third, lifting the Renault-owned team from ninth to sixth in the standings.

“I don’t think anyone would see this on their bingo card, it’s fantastic,” Gasly said.

George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fifth.

Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for RB, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri eighth after a 10-second penalty, Liam Lawson ninth for RB and seven-time Mercedes champion Lewis Hamilton 10th.

Verstappen now has 393 points against 331 for Norris, and Leclerc has 307.

McLaren leads the constructors’ standings with 593 points to Ferrari’s 557.

“It was a difficult day, I did everything I could. I had a lot of good races, the time came when something went wrong,” said Norris, who won Saturday’s sprint.

He completed the race under investigation due to a procedural irregularity at the start, but retained the position after stewards handed down a reprimand and a 5,000 euro ($5,438) fine. Russell received the same punishment.

Mercedes was also fined a total of €10,000 for tire pressure violations.

Early call

The day started early with qualifying taking place at 07:30 local time after rain forced it to be postponed on Saturday.

Verstappen was caught out by red flags in that session, dropping his 12th place on the grid to 17th after an engine penalty was applied.

The first start of the race was interrupted when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll spun out on a pack lap in difficult conditions and then Norris pulled several cars away before the overhead light changed to signal the go-ahead.

With just two cars behind him on the grid and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz starting from the pit lane, Verstappen raced through the field and was 10th after two laps, while Norris was beaten by Russell at the start.

The virtual safety car was deployed on lap 28 after Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg spun out, with Russell and Norris working their pit stops in increasing rain.

This proved to be a poor decision as Verstappen, Ocon and Gasly were sidelined.

The full safety car was then deployed before Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto crashed shortly after pitting, scattering debris across the track and stopping the race.

Colapinto was the only Williams driver on track after Alex Albon crashed in qualifying and the team was unable to repair his car in the limited time available.

After a 25-minute delay, Ocon led the restart before Verstappen took the lead on lap 43, three laps after Sainz crashed at turn eight and forced another safety car period.

Hulkenberg was ruled out after receiving assistance from marshals after spinning out of control and throwing his car into a drain on the 27th lap.

Get an insight into India’s future cars, electric vehicles, India’s future bikes and the cutting-edge technologies transforming the automotive landscape.

Date of first publication: November 04, 2024 08:07 EST