Three-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen swings momentum over to his side after taking the chequered flag from P17 in a rainy race in Brazil.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped an eventful Brazilian Grand Prix to swing back momentum in the F1 World Drivers’ Championship, zooming from P17 on the grid all the way to victory at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo on Monday (PHL).
Verstappen, who had not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, bucked all odds on a rainy Sunday race to regain control in the WDC standings, taking the chequered flag in a race which included surprise podium finishers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly of Alpine in P2 and P3, respectively.
It was a welcomed development for the 27-year-old who had been struggling as of late.
“Unbelievable!!! What a roller coaster… SIMPLY LOVELY. Thank you everyone [at Red Bull Racing],” Verstappen wrote on social media, following one of the greater drives of his already-historic career and what could be the defining win of this F1 season.
The three-time World Champion was all but out of the conversation for the victory heading into the race, following a sub-par performance in qualifying along with a five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine.
But wet conditions and a superb drive from the Dutchman saw him glide through the slippery Sao Paulo track. His win marked only the 5th time of the 1,121 previous world championship races where a race has been won from 17th or lower on the grid.
In the opening lap alone, Verstappen climbed seven places to P10, where he battled early with seven-time World Champion and rival Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. By Lap 2, he was in the points.
After 10 laps, he passed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri — teammate of his current championship rival Lando Norris. By Lap 15, Verstappen was making his case for the podium as he was among four drivers battling for third.
By the time that the Safety Car was rolled out in Lap 30, almost halfway through after the race was reduced to 69 laps due to an aborted start in the formation lap, Verstappen was in P2 behind Ocon’s Alpine.
Though the stall continued, after Williams’ Franco Colapinto’s crash which drew a red flag, Verstappen hardly batted an eye.
Despite taking his time to get past Ocon after the restart, Verstappen was inevitable as he eventually got past the Frenchman in Lap 43.
It was the perfect time for Verstappen to take the lead as Norris also bottled the end of the Safety Car and saw him go wide in the braking zone, dropping him down to P7.
After 10 laps, Verstappen clearly had control of the race as he led Ocon by seven seconds at Lap 54.
The win cemented Verstappen’s push for the title as he snapped his streak of 10 grand prix without a win. At the chequered flag, he was a full 19 seconds ahead of the Alpine driver in second.
As it stands, Verstappen can win his fourth world championship in just as many years in three weeks time at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.