Brazilian GP: Verstappen wins from P17, while Norris falls short in frantic thriller
Max Verstappen from Red Bull, aged 27, is close to winning his fourth Formula One title after an impressive victory from 17th place in Brazil on Sunday, which significantly hurt Lando Norris's chances.
Norris, 24, from McLaren, started the rainy and chaotic Sao Paulo race in pole position, 44 points behind Verstappen, but finished sixth and is under investigation for a procedural issue at the initial start.
The points gap for the title has now widened to 62, and it could increase if Norris receives a penalty, with three races left in the season.
If things go well for him, Verstappen could secure the championship in the next race in Las Vegas on November 23rd.
In a race filled with crashes that was paused after 33 laps, Verstappen claimed his eighth win of the season, finishing 19.477 seconds ahead and earning an extra point for the fastest lap.
"We avoided trouble, made smart decisions, stayed calm, and we were fast, so all these factors led to this result," Verstappen said. "It's unbelievable to win from so far back on the grid."
Team boss Christian Horner praised Verstappen's exceptional performance, marking the end of a 10-race winless streak for the Dutch driver since June in Spain.
In the midst of the chaos at Interlagos, Alpine had a surprising success with Esteban Ocon finishing second and Pierre Gasly third, moving the Renault-owned team up from ninth to sixth in the standings.
"I don’t think anyone expected that, it’s just fantastic," Gasly remarked.
George Russell took fourth place for Mercedes, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fifth. Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for RB, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri eighth, Liam Lawson ninth for RB, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes in tenth.
Verstappen now has 393 points, while Norris has 331 and Leclerc has 307. McLaren leads the constructors' standings with 593 points, ahead of Ferrari's 557, though this could change if Norris is penalized.
It was a challenging day, and I gave it my all. I've had many successful races, so it was about time something went wrong," said Norris, who secured victory in the Saturday sprint.
Early start
The day began early, with qualifying taking place at 7:30 AM local time after rain delayed events on Saturday.
Verstappen faced issues with red flags during that session, dropping from 12th to 17th on the grid due to an engine penalty.
The first race start was called off when Aston Martin's Lance Stroll went off during the formation lap in difficult conditions. Norris led some cars, but Verstappen was not among them, for a second attempt.
However, Norris moved before the lights changed to signal the start, drawing the attention of the stewards.
With only two cars behind him on the grid and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz starting from the pitlane, Verstappen quickly moved up the field in the changing weather, reaching 10th place after two laps, while Norris lost a position to Russell at the start.
A virtual safety car was deployed on lap 28 after Haas's Nico Hulkenberg spun off. Russell and Norris pitted in worsening rain, which turned out to be a poor decision as Verstappen, Ocon, and Gasly stayed out.
A full safety car was later called when rookie Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams shortly after pitting, spreading debris on the track and stopping the race.
Colapinto was the only Williams on the track after Alex Albon crashed during qualifying, and the team couldn't fix his car in time.
After a 25-minute delay, Ocon led the rolling restart, and Verstappen took the lead on lap 43, just three laps after Sainz crashed at turn eight, causing another safety car period.
Hulkenberg was disqualified for receiving help from marshals after he spun off and got stuck on a drain on lap 27.
SportsLigue