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After a ten-race break from the top position, Max Verstappen is back to winning at the end of a stormy Brazilian GP, with weather conditions that were, at times, prohibitive and truly endless. The defending champion was definitely excited to reach the finish line, after giving life to a GP that was, to say the least, combative, since he started from grid 17 due to a qualification (to be forgotten) and a power unit replacement that cost him five penalty positions. After an industrial number of overtakings, he got the better on the second by an impressive 19 seconds, therefore, moving another step closer to his fourth win. And, as if that weren't enough, this result led the Dutch rider to break Schumacher's record for the number of kilometers driven as the overall leader.
Making the Interlagos race even more exciting was the feat performed by Alpine. Taking advantage of a single-seater that worked better in wet conditions than in dry, Esteban Ocon placed 2nd and Perre Gasly 3rd. But, more importantly, it jumped from a 9th to 6th place in the constructors category, which means more money available for the 2025 car should it stay there until the end of the season.
Just out of the top three was George Russell, ahead of Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, which was having problems as soon as it started to rain more heavily. Even the McLarens weren't able to withstand the crazy weather, with poleman Lando Norris coming in only 6th at the checkered flag and Oscar Piastri 8th, due to a 10-second penalty he received after coming into contact with Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls, which still came came up behind him.
Speaking of the RB VCARB 01: Yuki Tsunoda, who started 3rd and finished 7th, and completing the top 10 was Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes that fought long with Sergio Perez's Red Bull, ending his race in 11th place.
Carlos Sainz fell at lap 40 and Lance Stroll did so during the pace lap, which is why the race started 10 minutes late. Alex Albon didn't even start because of a Williams that was too compromised in the accident that occurred in qualifying.
"I feel like I'm on a roller coaster. In qualifying, I was unlucky with the red flag but, then, I stayed out of trouble during the race. The wall made the right calls and the car was flying. Winning here was unbelievable, starting so far behind," the driver said, triumphantly.
"Crazy day. I'm very happy with the podium, and I thank everyone. The car was difficult to drive but, as soon as it started to rain, it got better. I like driving here in bad weather, and today turned out to be a special race," the future Haas driver analyzed the situation.
"So far, the championship has been very complicated for us, and we've always struggled to score points. I don't think anyone could've imagined seeing us with two cars on the podium. I started thirteenth and made up ten positions. With so many critical issues, we could've easily given up, but we never did," the third-place driver of the day concluded.
