‘On another planet’: Verstappen slams door on F1 title fight at Brazil GP

The Formula One championship battle is done and dusted after Max Verstappen blew his rivals out of the water at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Matthew Sullivan

4 min read

November 4, 2024 - 7:34AM

F1

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Call off the fight.

Max Verstappen has one hand on his fourth F1 world title after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix in a legacy defining performance on Monday morning (AEDT).

Verstappen started 17th on the grid — he was 12th fastest in a rain-affected qualifying after the session was red flagged.

Lando Norris took pole position in qualifying and looked set to further eat away at the 44-point deficit to Verstappen after Oscar Piastri gifted his teammate the Sprint win on Saturday.

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But it was pure chaos in the grand prix and Norris’ title hopes went up in smoke.

Norris was overtaken by George Russell on the opening corner, while Verstappen made up seven places on the first lap.

By lap 19, Verstappen was up in sixth and Norris was second.

The rain kept falling on Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit and it sparked chaos.

Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg beached his car, triggering a virtual safety car.

A safety car was called on lap 30 and the race was red flagged when Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams on lap 33.

Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

That red flag period advantaged Verstappen and the two Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.

All three had yet to pit for new tyres and they got a free pit stop during the red flag period that didn’t cost them any time.

The race eventually resumed under a safety car and Norris faltered, going wide and dropping to seventh on the restart. He couldn’t recover from there.

Rewind to the restart âª

Norris slithers off as Verstappen powers ahead - what a turnaround ðŸ˜µ#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/Y5KsT5MarR
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024

Verstappen quickly overtook Ocon on lap 43 and from then on, no one else had a chance.

The 27-year-old put on an absolute clinic in the wet conditions to win the race and dominate the field.

Verstappen crossed the line a whopping 19 seconds clear of Ocon and Gasly — the Alpine duo finished on the podium in a surprise result after staying out during the final red flag.

Norris couldn’t get past Charles Leclerc in the closing stages of the race and finished sixth.

One of the more unlikely F1 podiums: Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.(Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP)

It was truly a remarkable drive from Verstappen that cements him as the greatest driver of his generation.

With Red Bull’s car struggling, Verstappen hadn’t won since the Spanish Grand Prix, which was an astonishing 12 races ago.

It’s only the fifth time in 1,121 races that a driver has won from 17th or lower on the grid.

He was in a class of his own in the wet conditions, which great drivers like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have excelled in.

Verstappen was jubilant, pumping his fists on the podium as the realisation set in that he had more than likely secured his fourth world title, and the hardest fought one since 2021.

Verstappen and Red Bull celebrated like they, and everyone else, knew he had just wrapped up the championship.

“We haven’t seen that smile in a long time from Max,” Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok said.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “It was an outstanding drive. He was patient, he attacked when he needed to.

“In the wet and the dry, I think he’s the best in the world at the moment.”

Championship gap after Miami: +52 points
Championship gap after Brazil: +62 points
— Hank (@pitlimiteron) November 3, 2024

P1’s Tom Bellingham posted on X: “Max Verstappen started 17th with his title rival on pole

“Wins the race and extends his lead to 62 points. The best drive of his career?”

ESPN’s Nate Saunders wrote: “Hard to think of many better. That had Silverstone 08 vibes to it - just on a different planet to the rest in those conditions.”

Max is still the king of F1. (Photo by Miguel Schincariol / AFP)

Verstappen’s victory and the extra point for fastest lap — he set it 17 times during the race — means the Dutchman extended his championship lead over to 62 points. It is virtually an unassailable lead.

Norris said Verstappen and the Alpine drivers “got lucky” by getting a free pit stop under the red flag.

“That’s luck for them,” he said. “They got lucky. (It’s a) rule that no one agrees with.

“Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course disappointed with the result. We’ll keep pushing.

“He (Verstappen) drove well, he got a bit lucky.”

There are three grands prix and a sprint race left this season, but the championship battle is all but over.

Norris would need Verstappen to have multiple DNFs to have any chance, but of greater concern for the Brit is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc trails him by just 22 points in the championship now.

Verstappen will now wrap up the championship if he finishes ahead of Norris at the Las Vegas Grand Prix later this month.

A penalty to Australia’s Oscar Piastri for an incident with Liam Lawson saw him finish eighth.