Verstappen takes stunning win in Brazil from 17th

Max Verstappen delivered a stunning drive to win a soaked race in Brazil, ahead of the two Alpines.

Verstappen showed why he's so admired in the wet by storming through the field. He made up several places on the opening lap, then started overtaking cars one by one, including Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri. Then he moved up to second after not pitting before a red flag was called. It’s a huge turning point in the championship, having been knocked out in Q2 and taken an engine penalty.

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Esteban Ocon converted his strong qualifying into the race lead before Verstappen overtook him on a safety car restart and never looked back.

Alpine have saved their season with a double podium finish. They, like Verstappen, never pitted during the race and were able to change tyres under the red flag. They scored more points today (33) than they had all season prior (16). This saw them jump up from ninth to sixth in the constructor’s championship.

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On a day that could see him slash Max Verstappen’s championship lead, Lando Norris faltered. He lost pole position to George Russell at the start, then both Britons pitted before the red flag and dropped to fourth and fifth. Norris then ran deep at Turn 1 on a safety car restart, dropping more places. He would finish sixth after teammate Piastri let him by again.

Charles Leclerc only made up one position from his sixth position on the grid, as Ferrari were underwhelming in the wet conditions, with Sainz crashing out like he did in qualifying. The Spaniard wasn’t the only one.

Both Williams’ failed to see the chequered flag. Alex Albon’s car wasn’t able to be repaired in time from the morning’s qualifying crash, while Franco Colapinto suffered another crash, which caused the red flag, in a highly costly Sunday for the team, both financially and sportingly.

Lance Stroll spun and beached his car in the gravel on the formation lap, which delayed the start, while teammate Fernando Alonso struggled with the car, finding the grass and complaining of back pain due to his car bouncing.

Hamilton and Perez both made mistakes but fought till the end for the final points position, going to Hamilton, in an unimpressive weekend for both drivers. RB made the mistake of pitting both cars before the red flag and dropped to 8th and 9th after their brilliant qualifying session. They, along with Williams and Haas, were jumped by Alpine in the team standings.

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The craziest Sunday and probably the best race of the season has likely sealed Max Verstappen’s fourth world title. He and his team have come under scrutiny and criticism due to their winless run since Spain and Verstappen’s accumulation of penalties. Today he reminded fans why he is considered the best on the grid and a worthy world champion.

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