Verstappen Conjures Up Another Brazilian Grand Prix Masterclass to Keep World Drivers’ Championship Hopes Alive

The São Paulo Grand Prix started and ended with heavy repercussions on the World Drivers’ Championship.

After the disaster for Red Bull in qualifying, the starting grid for Sunday had Yuki Tsunoda over Max Verstappen at 17th and 19th, respectively. The World Drivers’ Championship leader, Lando Norris, started at first, with his teammate Oscar Piastri fourth on the grid.

Verstappen finished 16th in qualifying on Saturday, and Red Bull opted to change his power unit, which meant he started from the pit lane in a pivotal game for the championship.

In the case Verstappen finished outside the points, the championship would well and truly be out of reach of the Dutch driver’s hands, as Piastri would be the only realistic competitor for Norris.

Verstappen, having “nothing to lose,” began the race with an early pit stop after multiple collisions saw Charles Leclerc and Gabriel Bortoleto, and eventually Lewis Hamilton, retire.

Red Bull’s overnight changes had a visible effect on the car, as Verstappen maneuvered his way into the points in under 20 laps, before inching his way to the podium.

Eventually, with Norris pitting, Verstappen became the race leader, a complete turnaround from his second-from-last starting spot. Norris retook his spot with ease, and Verstappen fell slightly behind the pack after pitting for soft tires to try to recover the pace of the machine.

He gradually gained on and eventually overtook Mercedes driver George Russel before coming agonizingly close to 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli in second.

The Grand Prix finished tensely on the 71st lap, with Lando Norris leading the pack, followed by Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, George Russel, and Oscar Piastri in that order.

Norris stands firmly on top of the Drivers Championship points with 390, followed by fellow McLaren driver Piastri at 366, and Max Verstappen at 341 with three races and a sprint to go.