GP Brazil in Sao Paulo – From 17th place on the grid to victory: Verstappen celebrates at the spectacular race – Sport

• 1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull)
• 2. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine)
• 3. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine)

Max Verstappen experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotions on Sunday, the likes of which have hardly ever been seen in Formula 1. The world champion was unexpectedly eliminated early in qualifying on Sunday morning. He had to start the race from 17th position. Meanwhile, competitor Lando Norris started from pole position. The Grand Prix threatened to become a debacle for Red Bull – but then turned into a rarely seen triumph.

Verstappen made the impossible possible in the rain in Sao Paulo. After a furious race with countless overtaking maneuvers and luck at the right time, the Dutchman was once again able to celebrate after 10 Grands Prix without a win. The emotional situation was reversed at McLaren, where Norris had to make do with 6th place and saw the gap to Verstappen grow to 62 points.

Crash turns racing on its head

But let’s start from the beginning: Verstappen immediately moved up to 11th place with an optimal start, while Norris had to give up his leading position to George Russell. The Dutchman subsequently gained position after position, and after 11 laps Verstappen was already in 6th place. Meanwhile, Russell and Norris were able to pull away from the front, and the McLaren driver even regained the lead after the two drivers’ first pit stop in the increasingly heavy rain on the 30th lap.

The pit stop in question was to be Norris’s undoing a short time later. The race was interrupted on lap 33 after Williams driver Franco Colapinto crashed. This benefited Verstappen, who had not been in the pits before and was therefore 2nd at the time. He was able to have new tires fitted during the interruption and resume the race ahead of fourth-placed Norris.

On the second restart, Verstappen strikes

The rolling restart took place without any major incidents. Verstappen couldn’t get past leader Esteban Ocon in the Alpine and remained 2nd, Norris fell back to 5th. The Frenchman maintained the top position with surprising confidence until the next safety car phase was initiated on the 40th lap. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz had to retire after a crash.

The next restart came on lap 43. And this time Verstappen struck. He pushed past Ocon on the start-finish straight – and didn’t relinquish the lead until the end. With a lead of almost 20 seconds, the world champion took his first victory since the Spanish GP in mid-June. Ocon and Pierre Gasly (both Alpine) completed the podium. Norris fell back again on the second restart after a driving error and finished the race in 6th place.

This is how it continues

After Brazil, there are only three Grands Prix left in Formula 1. From November 24th, the big season finale will take place in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi within 3 weeks. The world champion will be crowned on December 8th.