No one saw this one coming. Not even him probably. On a Sunday that started in the worst possible way with an elimination from Q2 and a penalty of 5 places on the grid (already known), Max Verstappen knew he was condemned to the feat if he wanted to hope not to lose ground on Lando Norris in the title race.
To do this, you had to execute the perfect plan, and hope that everything worked out to your advantage. Luckily, the gods of F1 were on his side, he who was not going through the best period of his season. Seventeenth on the grid, Max Verstappen managed to move up to 6th before mid-race and then took advantage of the various events to thwart the predictions.
Between a red flag falling from the sky which allowed him to fight for victory against all odds and the misfortunes of Lando Norris, the Dutchman could not dream of better.
« It was an emotional roller coaster for me.he admitted, still surprised to find himself in this position. It started with that red flag in qualifying which I was really unlucky about. Starting 17th, I knew the race was going to be very difficult. But we stayed away from the problems, we made the right choices, we were calm and the car flew. All these elements combined made this result possible. To win from that far back on the grid… It’s incredible.
It's very difficult to overtake here with the new bitumen. There is only one line of racing you can truly take. So I knew I had to go. Obviously, it is easy to lock the tires in this situation. I tried to find the right balance and I also felt more confident with the brakes. It helps. »
Winner in Brazil, Max Verstappen returns to victory for the first time since the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23. In the meantime, he had gone 10 Sundays without the slightest success. Especially since the 62 points lead he now has over Lando Norris gives him a first match point. The equation is simple: finish ahead of the Englishman in Las Vegas (November 17). If he succeeds, he will be crowned for the fourth time in his career and in a row.
READ ALSO > Verstappen dampens Norris's hopes, double podium for Alpine in Brazil!
