05/11/2024
NEWS STORY
Sao Paulo winner Max Verstappen describes his Sunday in Brazil as an emotional rollercoaster.
Starting 17th on the grid following a grid penalty and a qualifying session wrecked by a red flag, the Dutchman faced a monumental task, especially as his title rival was starting from pole.
After Norris had won the Sprint on Saturday, Verstappen's title lead was down to 44 points and this looked likely to drop even further come Sunday.
However, following a strong start which saw him make up 6 places on the opening lap, the Dutchman benefitted when the race was red-flagged following Franco Colapinto's crash.
With Norris having pitted just a couple of laps earlier, and rejoining behind the Dutchman, this allowed Verstappen a 'free' tyre change which was to prove crucial.
When the race resumed he was running second to Esteban Ocon but subsequently passed the Frenchman going on to build a commanding 20s lead.
"My emotions today have been a rollercoaster with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag," he said at race end.
"Starting P17, I knew it was going to be a very tough race, but we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm, and we were fine," he added, " so all of these things together made that result possible.
"Unbelievable!" he grinned. "To win here from so far back on the grid, yeah..."
The Dutchman made a number of great passes over the course of the afternoon, the challenging Turn 1 being a favourite spot at which to pick off his prey.
"It's very hard to pass around here with the new tarmac," he said. "There's only one line that you can take. But I just knew I had to go for it.
"It's always easy to front lock," he explained. "I just tried to balance that out, and I had confidence on the brakes as well. That helps. And Turn 1 is always a great corner to pass."
Following the controversy of Austin and Mexico, Brazil afforded Verstappen the opportunity to show the skills which have made him a three-time world champion, and hopefully went some way to silencing those who feared he was reverting to the 'bad boy' of old.
In the press conference, in a clear reference to reports, particularly in the British media, which have led him to suggest bias and anti-Dutch, pro-Norris sentiment, he casually hit out.
"I have a quick question here," he said. "I mean, I appreciate all of you being here, but I don't see any British press. They had to run to the airport? Or they don't know where the press conference is?"
With Sergio Perez delivering another disappointing performance, Red Bull remains third in the team standings, however team boss Christian Horner believes that Interlagos was possibly a game-changer in the Drivers' Championship.
It's a big day for the drivers' championship," he told Sky Sports. "I never expected to win that, I thought if we could get somewhere near the podium it would be an amazing result. So for him to have gone out there and won that race, it was an outstanding drive.
"He was patient, he attacked when he needed to, and his restart, he came from so far back. "Truly, an outstanding drive," added the Briton.
Asked how much Verstappen is worth to the team, he replied: "Max is invaluable. It's impossible to put a number on that. That was a champion's drive.
"There's some great drivers out there," he added, "but to stand out and shine like that today, that marks him out, I think, with some of the greats now.
"The way he's driven, and even when we've had a difficult car this year, he's never given up. He's gone about collecting the points, he's always trying to get maximum out of the car."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Sao Paulo here.