Verstappen stunned with victory from 17th on the grid in Sao Paulo

SAO PAULO:Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his fourth Formula 1 title after his astonishing journey from 17th on the grid to victory in Brazil on Sunday dealt a devastating blow to Lando Norris’ hopes.

Norris, who started the wet and chaotic Sao Paulo race on pole position and 44 points behind Verstappen, finished sixth for McLaren and was under investigation for a procedural violation in the first aborted start.

The championship lead has increased to 62 points, possibly even more if the referees penalize the Briton, with three rounds to go and 86 points to be won.

If the results go his way, Verstappen could win the championship jackpot at the next race on November 23 on the floodlit Las Vegas Strip.

In the race that was shortened to 69 laps, paused for 33 laps and restarted, Verstappen achieved his eighth victory of the season and one of the best wins of his career with a difference of 19.477 seconds and received a bonus point for the fastest lap.

“We stayed out of trouble, made the right decisions, stayed calm and were flying, so all these things together made this result possible,” Verstappen said. he said.

“But I mean, to win here from so far back on the grid is incredible.”

Team principal Christian Horner heaped praise on the driving masterclass from one of the best; This victory halted Red Bull’s downward spiral and ended the Dutch driver’s 10-race losing streak, which stretched back to Spain in June.

AMAZING ALPINE

Amid the turmoil at Interlagos, Alpine picked up surprising points with Esteban Ocon second and Pierre Gasly third, lifting the Renault-owned team from ninth to sixth in the standings.

“I don’t think anyone would write that on their bingo card, it’s really cool,” Gasly said.

George Russell was fourth for Mercedes, under investigation for a tire pressure violation, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fifth.

Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for RB, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was eighth after a 10-second penalty, Liam Lawson was ninth for RB and Mercedes’ seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was 10th and is also under investigation for tire pressure.

Verstappen currently has 393 points to Norris’ 331 points, while Leclerc has 307 points.

In the teams’ standings, McLaren is ahead of Ferrari with 557 points with 593 points, but this may change if Norris gets a penalty.

Norris, who won the Saturday sprint, said: “It was a tough day, I did the best I could. I had a lot of good races, it was time for something to go wrong.”

EARLY CALL

The day started early, with qualifying held at 07:30 local time, which was delayed by rain on Saturday.

Verstappen, who was caught by red flags in that session, rose from 12th to 17th in the rankings after the engine penalty was applied.

His first race start was canceled when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll embarked on a formation lap in dangerous conditions and Norris suspended some cars – but not Verstappen – for a second attempt.

But he did so before the lights on the ceiling changed to signal clearance to move, and officers immediately took up his case.

With only two cars behind him on the grid and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz starting from pitlane, Verstappen raced through the field in changing conditions and was 10th after two laps, while Norris was beaten by Russell at the start.

The virtual safety car was deployed on lap 28 after Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg spun in what turned out to be an unfortunate decision in the increasing rain, with Russell and Norris pitting and Verstappen, Ocon and Gasly remaining out.

The full safety car was deployed before Argentine rookie Franco Colapinto crashed into his Williams shortly after the pits, scattering debris across the track and stopping the race.

Colapinto became Williams’ only driver on track after Alex Albon crashed in qualifying and the team was unable to repair his car in time.

After a 25-minute delay, Ocon restarted the race and Verstappen took the lead on lap 43, three laps after Sainz crashed at turn eight, triggering another safety car period.

Hulkenberg was eliminated from the race on the 27th lap after getting help from stewards after he threw his car into a canal and stranded it.