Max Verstappen's Sao Paulo Grand Prix was a whirlwind of drama that culminated in one of the most extraordinary victories of his career and in his first triumph since last June's Spanish Grand Prix.
Starting from a lowly 17th on the grid, the Red Bull charger delivered a performance for the ages, storming through the field to clinch a hard-fought win that also significantly increased his chances of claiming a fourth F1 world championship.
After a disastrous qualifying session, where a red flag and a grid penalty left him in a perilous position, Verstappen faced a daunting task.
However, the Dutchman rose to the challenge, showing impeccable skill and unwavering determination on a rain-soaked track that provided the perfect stage for his brilliance as he navigated treacherous conditions with surgical precision.
"My emotions today have been a rollercoaster with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag,” commented Verstappen after his 62nd career win in F1
"Starting P17, I knew it was going to be a very tough race, but we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm, and we were fine, so all of these things together made that result possible.
"Unbelievable! To win here from so far back on the grid, yeah..."
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With the Brazilian rain pouring down, Verstappen's opening laps set the tone for the race. Demonstrating masterful control on a track massively short on grip, he gained position after position with clean, aggressive moves into Interlagos' famous Turn 1.
"It's very hard to pass around here with the new Tarmac," he explained. "There's only one line that you can take.
“But I just knew I had to go for it. It's always easy to front lock. I just tried to balance that out, and I had confidence on the brakes as well. That helps.
"And Turn 1 is always a great corner to pass."
©RedBull
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that Verstappen's victory is a pivotal moment in the fight for the world title for the Dutchman against McLaren rival Lando Norris who concluded his day only sixth in the running order.
"It's a big day for the drivers' championship,” Horner told Sky F1. “I never expected to win that, I thought if we could get somewhere near the podium it would be an amazing result.
"So for him to have gone out there and won that race, it was an outstanding drive. Absolutely, he was patient, he attacked when he needed to, and his restart, he came from so far back.
"Truly, an outstanding drive."
Asked how much Verstappen is worth, Horner said: "Max is invaluable. It's impossible to put a number on that. That was a champion's drive.
"There's some great drivers out there, but to stand out and shine like that today, that marks him out, I think, with some of the greats now.
"The way he's driven, and even when we've had a difficult car this year, he's never given up. He's gone about collecting the points, he's always trying to get maximum out of the car."
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