Max Verstappen, arms raised during the Brazilian GP, scene of his triumph.
IMAGO/HochZwei
Lando Norris qualified in pole position, Max Verstappen only started from 17th place. It was raining in São Paulo, which favored the driver who started in front, the only one not to be bothered by the spray. Norris had to hit hard and take advantage of it to get closer to the Dutchman in the championship.
A demonstration
Max Verstappen had not won since June 23 in Barcelona. He had just been penalized twice in Mexico for dangerous driving. A month ago, he was sentenced to community service for being rude during a press conference. Race after race, he lost his lead over his rival Lando Norris, his ex-friend to whom he no longer spoke…. In short, this endless season seemed to be turning into a disaster for the Dutchman.
Until Sunday. In the rain of São Paulo, Max Verstappen gave a demonstration like we rarely see. Starting 17th, he gained six places during the first lap alone, before passing Lewis Hamilton, excuse me, at the first corner of the second lap. He was already in the points!
A little luck with your tires
The festival did not stop, he continued to overtake his opponents one after the other to find himself second when the race had to be stopped to clear the debris from Franco Colapinto's car, which had crashed on the straight.
There, Max Verstappen had a bit of luck, since he was one of the only ones with the two Alpines (Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly) not to have changed his tires. With the race stopped, he was able to do so without losing time. Starting second again, he then made short work of Esteban Ocon when the safety car released the peloton on the 43rd lap.
Norris misses his turn
It was at this precise moment that the championship experienced a turning point: just as Max Verstappen took the lead, his rival Lando Norris missed the first corner and lost two places…
On the evening of this São Paulo Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is 62 points ahead of Lando Norris. He will therefore be titled in Las Vegas, in three weeks – unless Lando Norris manages to score three more points than him, thus maintaining a theoretical chance for one more week, until Qatar.
Like Senna
With this victory, Max Verstappen made up for in a single race this season which seemed to escape him. While even the best – Alonso, Sainz, Norris – made mistakes, on Sunday he didn't put a single wheel off the track, incredible control in terrible conditions.
“Max’s first lap will go down in Formula 1 history,” predicts Christian Horner, his boss. “He matched Ayrton Senna’s performance at Donington in 1993.” At the time, the Brazilian, who started fourth, had overtaken all his rivals, including Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost, to find himself in the lead at the end of the first lap.
Even Bernie Ecclestone, at 94, called on Sunday to tell the Red Bull team that he had seen many champions in his life, but that Max's feat was among the greatest races he had admired. Max was at his best, simply fabulous.
