Max Verstappen breathed a huge sigh of relief after his spectacular victory in the rain-hit Brazilian Grand Prix saw him close in on the 2024 Formula 1 world drivers’ title.
While his nearest championship rival Lando Norris faltered, Verstappen held his nerve with a flawless performance in the wet, as the reigning world champion served up an incredible 17 fastest laps as he powered his way up from 17th on the grid to glory.
Having barely put a wheel wrong, his opponents slid off track and duffed the barriers, making it arguably Verstappen’s most impressive performance in the wet. His victory, plus the bonus point for setting the fastest lap, means he increased his lead on Norris, who had started on pole, to 62 points.
Verstappen can win his fourth straight title next time out in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as this year’s drivers’ championship battle fizzled out on lap 43 in Brazil. As Verstappen passed Esteban Ocon for the lead, Norris went wide into Turn 1 and could only manage sixth place at the finish.
It was Verstappen’s first grand prix win since the Spanish GP on 23 June and all-but kills off Norris’ slim chance of snatching his title.
Verstappen said: “This was, of course looking at it now, incredibly important, because in a way I was expecting to lose points.
“From now, I just want clean races to the end [of the season]. I am not thinking about clinching the championship in Vegas or whatever. I just want clean races. That was important. I wanted to win a bit sooner but it's been tough for us.
“We always kept pushing. We didn't really understand why the others were so fast in the race.
“I've been trying a lot of things to improve the car. Starting P17 this morning didn't look like we're going to win the race again. So, it's an incredible result for us.
“A massive boost for the team because honestly it's been tough. But it is also a big strength of the team to stay calm and just try to work on performance and try to improve our situation.
“I'm confident for the last three races, that we can fight again and, especially in the race, that we will be more competitive.”
Verstappen admitted he wanted to “destroy” the team’s garage after an ill-timed red flag in qualifying, coupled with a five-place engine penalty, meant that he would start the race in 17th.
Speaking about his impressive recovery drive, he added: “My emotions went from wanting to destroy the garage to winning the race.
“We had a good start that helped. We had a good first lap and from there on, we just picked off a few drivers here and there.
“I got a little bit stuck behind the train of [RB’s] Yuki [Tusnoda] and then we just stayed calm. It was a very long race and we made the right calls. When some pitted and the rain was coming, we stayed out, which was very sketchy.
“I was like, ‘I'm just happy to keep the car on the track’. At one point it was just red [flag conditions]. We needed a red flag. It was just undriveable; even on extreme tyres it would have not been possible. It almost felt like I was driving a boat or a jet ski!”
Verstappen’s smile - and the swagger - has clearly returned.
Having felt hard done by with penalties and subsequent criticism following his performances in Austin and Mexico where he clashed with Norris, plus having been in the spotlight for swearing during a live press conference in Singapore and getting a community service punishment, the Dutch driver was in a buoyant mood and hit back.
Verstappen had earlier claimed that he “has the wrong passport" for the F1 paddock, inferring there is a British bias, so he stopped the press conference to hit back, saying: “I have a quick question here. I appreciate all of you being here, but I don't see any British press. They have to run to the airport or anything?
“They don't know where the press conference is? You know, that's a fair question. That's a fair question.”
