Max Verstappen put together an all-star drive as he powered his way to win the São Paulo Grand Prix, furthering his lead in the drivers’ championship with three races and a sprint to go before the checkered flag falls on the 2024 Formula One season.
The Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly rounded out the podium, launching the team from ninth to sixth in the constructor standings. It now sits a few points ahead of Haas.
With Norris finishing sixth, Verstappen’s championship lead is now at 62 points. The McLaren driver will need to outscore the Dutchman by three points in Las Vegas on Nov. 21 for the title race to continue to Qatar.
The race began in a chaotic fashion, fitting for how the weekend had unfolded to that point. With the threat of rain looming, Lance Stroll spun on the formation lap, which caused an aborted start. Meanwhile, Franco Colapinto lined up in the wrong grid box, and the grid started moving too soon on the second formation lap. Norris, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will be investigated after the race for a potential start procedure infringement.
By the time the race got underway again, rain began. Russell took the lead early on, but further behind, Verstappen began his march up the grid. He started P17 and surged, reaching 10th in one lap. By lap 19, the Red Bull driver was in sixth and around 10 seconds or so off of Norris, who was second.
The conditions worsened as the rain grew heavier. McLaren and Norris discussed when to do the first pit stop, and waiting went in their favor. Nico Hülkenberg went off on Turn 1 and beached the car, triggering a virtual safety car. Numerous drivers dove into the pits for fresh tires, and Hülkenberg was able to get his car going again. Russell and Norris took intermediate tires, but others opted for full wets, like the RB drivers and Sergio Pérez.
The conditions looked barely raceable, and a safety car was called on Lap 30, neutralizing the race. But a red flag soon came on Lap 33 when Colapinto crashed at the final corner. Williams had already repaired his car once on Sunday after he crashed during qualifying Sunday morning. The team also had to withdraw Alex Albon because of the extensive damage his car suffered during a separate qualifying crash.
The red flag period went in Verstappen and both Alpine drivers’ favors. Ocon was leading at the time, Verstappen in second and Gasly in third, and all three had yet to pit for new tires. According to the regulations, teams can change tires during red flag periods, essentially a free pit stop.
During the red flag period, news broke that Hülkenberg was given a black flag and had been disqualified. He received outside help after he spun when the marshalls pushed his car towards the track. According to Article 53.2,
“Any driver whose car stops in any area other than the Pit Lane during a sprint session or race and receives physical assistance resulting in the car re-joining may be disqualified from that sprint session or race.” This is the first time a black flag has been given since the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
The cars eventually went back out behind a safety car, and it was a rolling start. Ocon held onto the lead and built a two-second lead over Verstappen. Russell overtook Norris after the McLaren driver went wide at Turn 4. Ollie Bearman, a few laps later, went spinning but kept the car running.
Another safety car period happened on Lap 40 when Carlos Sainz hit the barrier. Verstappen took the lead at the restart, and Norris, who was a few cars back, went wide and dropped to P7. The Red Bull driver began building his lead, extending to three seconds six laps later and eight seconds by Lap 56. Verstappen continued putting fastest lap after fastest lap together, the final gap to Ocon being 19 seconds.
One other big moment to note — As the final laps unfolded, Fernando Alonso came over the radio saying that he “will finish the race for the mechanics” but was in pain. He crashed during qualifying, and the team needed to repair his car in a tight window so he could race.
“My back is hurting, man,” Alonso added. “This bouncing is not normal.”
Several other penalties were handed out during the race. Ollie Bearman received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Colapinto, and Oscar Piastri received a 10-second penalty as well for spinning Lawson.
Top photo: Sipa USA
