If results go his way, Max Verstappen could hit the jackpot in the next race in Las Vegas on November 23.
SAO PAULO – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stood on the brink of his fourth Formula One title after a landmark drive to victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil on Sunday dealt a shattering blow to Lando Norris’s hopes.
McLaren’s Norris, who started the wet and chaotic Sao Paulo race on pole position and 44 points behind Verstappen, finished sixth and under investigation for a procedural infringement at the initial aborted start.
The title gap meanwhile blew out to 62 points, possibly more if the stewards penalise the Briton, with three rounds remaining.
If results go his way, Verstappen could hit the jackpot in the next race in Las Vegas on November 23.
Masterclass.#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/XBsg43uAFc
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
In a crash-strewn race halted after 33 laps and re-started, Verstappen took his eighth win of the season by a mighty 19.477 seconds and with a bonus point for fastest lap.
“We stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls and stayed calm and we were flying so all of these things together made that result possible,” said Verstappen.
“But I mean unbelievable, to win here from so far back on the grid.”
With team boss Christian Horner acclaiming a masterclass of a drive from one of the sport’s greats, the win ended a 10-race losing streak for the 27-year-old Dutch driver dating back to Spain in June.
Amid the mayhem at Interlagos, Alpine took an astonishing points bonanza with Esteban Ocon second and Pierre Gasly third – rocketing the Renault-owned team from ninth to sixth in the standings.
George Russell finished fourth for Mercedes with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fifth.
Yuki Tsunoda was seventh for RB with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri eighth, Liam Lawson ninth for RB and Mercedes’s seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton 10th.
Verstappen now has 393 points to Norris’s 331, with Leclerc on 307.
McLaren lead the constructors’ standings with 593 points to Ferrari’s 557, although that could change if Norris gets a penalty.
Reuters
