The comeback of Max Verstappen and the podium of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly but also the errors of Lando Norris and the accidents of Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll… discover the tops and flops of the Brazilian GP.
TOPS
Verstappen au sommet
This feat of starting 17th on the grid and triumphing at the finish had only happened twice in history in the history of F1. A sign of the rather incredible performance of Max Verstappen, victorious in the Brazilian Grand Prix this Sunday. The Batavian first showed his talent on Sunday, after missed qualifying and a five-place penalty for changing an engine. He was tenth at the start of lap 2 and sixth after ten laps. Then, his choice to stay on the track while the rain increased, like Alpine, was the right one and he benefited from the red flag to change his tires. Finally, he passed Esteban Ocon with authority at the restart of lap 43 before stringing together the best laps. The victory and the best lap to finish, his 62nd career success and the first since June 23. 62 is also now the gap with Lando Norris in the world championship rankings. With three rounds to go, it looks very good for a fourth title in a row. It's very simple, if Verstappen finishes ahead of Norris in Las Vegas, he will be champion before Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Colossal.
Ocon and Gasly on the podium, Alpine finally has a smile
Two French people on the podium? We had to go back to the 1997 Spanish GP where Jacques Villeneuve won over Olivier Panis and Jean Alesi. This time, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were beaten by Max Verstappen. But the two Frenchmen were brilliant. Fourth on the grid, Esteban Ocon was very clean at the start and Alpine made the right choice by keeping its drivers on track on lap 28. The French team then benefited from the red flag. Leading for ten laps, Ocon lost to Verstappen while Gasly, third after this poker move from Alpine when he started 14th, held off at the end of the race against George Russell. Alpine scores 35 points this weekend, including 33 in the race, and climbs back to 6th among manufacturers after a horrible year. The Brazilian miracle.
FLOPS
Norris's mistakes
He started on pole and was expected to make a big impact in the race for the world title but Lando Norris missed out in São Paulo. And from the start since George Russell stole first place from him. He then chose to stop instead of staying on track like the first three and that was the beginning of the end. At the first restart, on lap 33, he pulled straight and let Russell pass. Fifth at the second restart, he shot straight again and Leclerc and Piastri took advantage. The latter finally let him pass to finish 6th but the Briton was disappointed on Sunday between the Brazilian lakes, probably leaving his last hopes of a title there.
Sainz out of the picture
He had shone in Mexico, he drowned in Brazil. At the fault in Q2, Carlos Sainz was still able to start after enormous work by the Scuderia mechanics. Starting from the pit lane, Sainz struggled in traffic for a long time around 13th place and made a mistake on lap 39, smashing his car a second time into the wall at Interlagos. One time too many. This is costly in the constructors' standings for the Italians, who concede seven points to McLaren, who now leads the race with a 36-point lead.
Stroll to the limit of the ridiculous
He also made a mistake in qualifying but started 10th and from the starting grid. Lance Stroll, however, did not see the start since he made a mistake in the warm-up lap in Brazil in sector 1! His front wing damaged, he tried to return to the track and the pits but he got stuck in a gravel trap in a rather ridiculous manner.
Williams, a weekend in hell
A team with a limited budget, Williams must look gloomy when leaving São Paulo. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto had already destroyed the cars on Sunday morning in qualifying. The first, seventh on the grid, did not even start because there was not enough time to repair before the start of the race. On the other hand, the Argentinian was at the start but he again ran his car into the wall, and under a safety car, causing a red flag. A weekend that is really very expensive.
