Verstappen’s title is within reach. From 17th place at the start he won the thrilling VC São Paulo, Norris finished sixth

When championship leader Max Verstappen took the grid in position number 17, few could have expected him to cross the finish line first. The Dutchman put in one of the best performances in F1 history in São Paulo, winning by almost 20 seconds. He has extended his lead over Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Cup to 62 points and is seeking his fourth world championship title.

• Verstappen won after starting from 17th place
• Double podium for Alpine, Ocon second, Gasly third
• Norris scored just 8 points after starting from pole position

After a miserable qualifying session, Verstappen’s luck smiled on him. For the two drivers starting ahead of him, the race was over before it even started. A race interruption came in handy for him, which put him in second place. But the Red Bull driver gained most of his positions on track. He confirmed his dominant performance by scoring an extra point for the fastest lap of the race.

Norris’ title hopes are hanging in the balance. A drop from first on the grid to sixth at the finish increased his deficit to 62 points. With a maximum of 83 points from the past races, the Briton would have to hope for a miracle.

The absolute turning point of the season was Alpine. The team from Enstone had been experiencing the worst season in its history so far, but in São Paulo both of its drivers stood on the podium. With 33 points, the team jumped from ninth to sixth in the Constructors’ Cup.

Rain caused the end of four drivers

The São Paulo VC brought its first drama before the start. On his way to the grid, Lance Stroll couldn’t hold on to the track and in his attempt to get back on track he drove into a duck and got stuck. The start was therefore abandoned. However, the drivers then started the second warm-up lap without being prompted to do so by race management

For Verstappen, the start of the race was exactly as he had hoped. He moved himself up to eighth place within a couple of laps, but it was also important that Norris lost the top spot again at the first corner. The McLaren driver therefore didn’t build up the lead he desperately needed.

The difference between the Red Bull drivers was again highlighted by Sergio Pérez’s first lap. The Mexican spun on the exit of Turn 10 and dropped to last place.

Verstappen’s spree was halted by a train behind Júki Cunoda, who was unable to overtake Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque was the first of the foursome to pull away when he pitted for new tyres on lap 25. However, he returned to the track directly behind Bearman and Hamilton, whom he was unable to pass.

Unfortunately for Ferrari, Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas stopped briefly off the track three laps later. The race was neutralised by the virtual safety car, under which the time lost for a pit-stop is significantly lower. At the same time, torrential rain began to fall on the track again, forcing several drivers to change to rain tyres and eventually necessitating the safety car’s exit.

Red flags opened the door to victory for Verstappen

The track conditions deteriorated so much that even at reduced speed, Franco Colapinto got into a skid and absolutely demolished his monocoque on the home straight. The race was therefore interrupted after 33 laps by red flags when Ocon, Verstappen and Gasly were on the podium.

The interruption ended the race for Hülkenberg. The sports commissioners disqualified the German driver as he was helped back on track by the marshals.

After the restart, Norris made a mistake in turn four, which dropped Russell back in front of him. Ocon, on the other hand, handled the restart perfectly. Not only did he keep Verstappen behind him, he also built up a lead of more than three seconds.

It took just seven laps before the safety car reappeared on track. Sainz found his way into the barriers for the second time today, this time at Turn 8. Oliver Bearman had come close to crashing twice before, but the Briton, filling in for the ailing Kevin Magnussen, managed to avoid the barriers.

On the second restart, Verstappen waited for nothing and attacked Ocon in turn one. He clearly surprised the Alpine driver and slipped into first place. Norris made another mistake, this time in turn one, and dropped all the way behind Piastri. McLaren soon swapped their drivers, but Norris was unable to gain any more positions and finished sixth.

The final battle was between Lawson, Hamilton and Pérez. The young New Zealander was able to keep the two most experienced drivers behind him and took two points. Pérez left the battle as the loser, once again ending the Grand Prix with no points.

Source: F1TV