Max Verstappen has moved to the brink of defending his Formula 1 title with an inspired drive to win Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver started the race in 17th position after a chaotic qualifying session on Sunday which saw an incredible five red flags as rain pounded the Interlagos track.
However, the Championship leader breezed his way through the pack to move into sixth place before benefitting from safety cars and a red flag being required during the middle part of the race.
Verstappen, as well as the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, were the only three drivers not to make their first stops, and the stoppage enabled them to do so without losing their track position.
"The championship pendulum swings in one corner!" 🤯#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/WZwv6ozkzR
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Ocon defied Verstappen on one restart but he was powerless on the second, with the Dutchman passing him at the first corner and speeding into the distance to win by 19.477 seconds.
With the other two podium spots going to Ocon and Gasly, Alpine collected 33 points having previously only accumulated 16 points during the entire season.
Title race all but done?
Lando Norris had qualified in pole to put himself in prime position to take advantage of Verstappen being at the opposite end of the grid, but the British driver endured an afternoon to forget as soon as George Russell had passed him at the first corner.
The safety car ended his challenge for a race win and he would only finish as high as sixth after teammate Oscar Piastri allowed him to take the position.
Norris now finds himself 62 points behind Verstappen with just three races remaining. If Verstappen is leading by 60 points or more after the next race in Las Vegas, he will retain his World Championship.
Our top 10 at Interlagos 🇧🇷#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/UjjTMVez4D
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Elsewhere, the RB duo of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson had to settle for seventh and ninth respectively after their surprise starting spots of third and fifth.
There was also a solitary point for Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes despite struggling with his car all race.
How do standings look?
As well as being on the brink of slipping out of the title race, Norris also only boasts a 24-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the race for second.
Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz Jr are the only drivers in contention for fourth and there is an 18-point gap between the pair.
Meanwhile, there has been little change at the top of the Constructors Championship, with Red Bull still 49 points behind leaders McLaren despite Verstappen's success.
Further down, Alpine have catapulted themselves into sixth position, with just five points between them and eight-placed RB.
Darren Plant
