The Dutch driver qualified 17th, had the help of a red flag and put in a gala performance to end the season’s winning streak
For the second consecutive year, Max Verstappen won the Sao Paulo GP From Formula 1. This Sunday, the Red Bull driver had to demonstrate all his talent to take his eighth victory of the year after starting from an unlikely 17th place. With the result at the Autódromo de Interlagos, which ended 10 consecutive stages without a win, the Dutchman once again found an advantage at the top of the standings. Frenchmen Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, both from Alpine, completed the podium.
Verstappen sought his 62nd F1 victory with one of his career-best performances. After failing the morning qualifying session (it was scheduled for Saturday, but was postponed due to the storm), he faced a five-place grid penalty, starting from 17th place. However, he had a practically perfect recovery. Halfway through the race he was already in second place.
On lap 10 Verstappen catches up with Piastri and, surprisingly, has no difficulty overtaking the Australian, who manages to put up more resistance to help Norris, his McLaren teammate. On lap 12 the championship leader was in sixth place, with an average of almost one overtaking per lap.
After overtaking consecutive opponents, Verstappen was stuck behind Leclerc. The Dutchman only reached fifth position when his Ferrari rival pitted on lap 25, being the first to change tyres. The Red Bull driver, however, was unable to go any further because, three laps later, the virtual safety car came into operation after Hülkenberg spun on the track and stopped on the curb.
The drivers then started running towards the pits to change compounds. Russell and Norris, first and second in the race, entered one after the other. On the way back Ocon was in the lead, followed by Verstappen. Russell moved back to fourth, with Norris close behind. On lap 30 the McLaren driver finally manages to overtake his Mercedes rival.
Faced with the heaviest rain, the virtual one gave way to the real safety car on the track. Despite the restrictions on the track, Colapinto lost control of the car on his own and crashed into the wall. Race organizers raised the red flag, stopping the race on lap 32. The interruption directly benefited Verstappen, who managed to make his first tire change and maintain second position.
After a stop of around 20 minutes, the race resumed on lap 34 with a rolling start. Once again the drivers had difficulty staying on the soaked track. Bearman and Zhou escaped before the restart and Norris subsequently left the line, losing position to Russell, new fourth in the race, behind Ocon, Verstappen, Gasly and Russell, in that order.
The safety car returned to the track on lap 40 when Carlos Sainz spun alone and stopped at the protective wall, ending up abandoning it. Two laps later, the drivers were released to compete. The match and, perhaps, the championship will be decided at the restart. While Norris missed the “S for Senna”, falling to 7th place, Verstappen overtook Ocon to take the lead.
At the top of the standings, the championship leader had no difficulty increasing his lead lap after lap. At the same time, he recorded the fastest spins of the race, in search of the extra point. Dejectedly, Norris stopped in sixth place, showing no signs of reacting.
Calmer and almost incident-free, the final third of the Brazilian GP saw Hamilton, Pérez and Lawson battling for ninth place. Between errors and more risky maneuvers they guaranteed a spectacle for the fans in the stands. Far from thrilling the fans, the seven-time champion ended up having one of his worst races at Interlagos.
The riders will return to the asphalt in three weeks for the Las Vegas GP. The third race of the season in the United States will take place on the 23rd of this month. It will be the third to last stage of the championship.
Discover the final ranking of the Sao Paulo F1 GP
- Max Verstappen (HOL/Red Bull), in 2h06min54s430
- Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine), at 19s477
- Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine), at 22s532
- George Russell (ING/Mercedes), at 23s265
- Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari), 30 seconds away177
- Lando Norris (ING/McLaren), at 31s372
- Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/RB), at 42s056
- Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren), at 44s943
- Liam Lawson (NZL/RB), at 50s452
- Lewis Hamilton (ING/Mercedes), at 50s753
- Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull), at 51s531
- Oliver Bearman (ING/Haas), at 57.085
- Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Kick Sauber), at 63s588
- Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin), at 78,049
- Guanyu Zhou (CHN/Kick Sauber), at 79s649
- Not completed: Nico Hülkenberg (ALE/Haas) – suspended; Alexander Albon (TAI/Williams); Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin); Franco Colapinto (ARG/Williams); Carlos Sainz Jr. (ESP/Ferrari)
Source: Terra
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