Max Verstappen comes from 17th to WIN with one of F1’s great drives at crazy Brazilian GP as Norris’ title hopes fade

MAX VERSTAPPEN made a breathtaking comeback from 17th place to win an incredible Grand Prix of Sao Paulo.

The ruthless Dutchman overcame a five-place grid penalty, a chaotic qualifying session, a sprint penalty, as well as handbags with Damon Hill this weekend.

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The three-time world champion made a big statement in the title race, crossing the line 19 seconds ahead of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly on a great day for Alpine.

The last time Verstappen topped the podium was at the Spanish Grand Prix, no less than ten races and six months ago.

The Dutchman drove the fastest lap and can win the title in Las Vegas in three weeks if he is correct Lando Norris there after the Briton finished sixth today after a dismal performance.

Brazil was riddled with drama all weekend and today race picked up where a chaotic, crash-strewn morning qualifying session left off.

Norris had secured pole while a seething Verstappen finished 12th after a session in which he saw FIVE red flags for major crashes.

Verstappen was furious at the delay in throwing the red flag for Lance Stroll’s crash, which could have seen other drivers knock him out of the top 10.

It only seemed to stoke the fire in the Dutchman’s belly as he found himself all the way back on the grid in 17th place after Red Bull fitted a new engine to his RB20.

A drama broke out before the race had even started when Stroll lost control of his car during the formation lap and got stuck in the gravel, aborting the start and triggering a safety car.

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Notable scenes followed, with some drivers, including Norris, pulling away to complete another formation lap, while Verstappen and others remained seated.

Norris was then taken down research for a starting procedure violation, as replays showed there was no green light on the gantry when Norris led most of the field away.

To rub salt in the wounds, Verstappen had pointed out the mistake.

Finally the fans were treated to some racing and that was it George Russel who was in the lead on lap 1 after sliding off the line past Norris.

It was a stunning first lap from Verstappen who meant it company and shot up seven places.

On lap ten the Dutchman had passed Norris’s car McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri for seventh place.

At the front of the peloton, Norris chased Russell with just over a second separating the pair as the rain poured down.

On lap 28 there was the first Virtual Safety Car when Nico Hulkenberg came out of the race race at turn one.

It led to chaos at the pit stops when Russell and Norris pitted with the end of the virtual safety car.

Russell stayed in front, but Ocon and Verstappen failed to arrive, as did Gasly.

Ocon took first place and Verstappen was second, while Norris overtook Russell for fourth on lap 30.

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He kept peeing down and there was a safety car for the heavy rain with Ocon leading, Verstappen second, Gasly third, then Norris and Russell.

A red flag followed when Franco Colapinto had a huge crash during the run up the hill towards the finish line.

Colapinto got out of his car and seemed fine, but Williams’ budget certainly suffered as it was their third major crash of the day.

Russell was left fuming and furious Mercedes team radio after he was told race was red flagged just a few laps after his pit stop:

“I fucking said it!

“We should have stayed outside!”

To add to the drama, Hulkenerg was then disqualified for receiving help after going off the track.

When the race resumed, Norris’s nerves got the better of him and he went deep into turn four, allowing Russell through.

Carlos Sainz was then out of the race on lap 40 after hitting the wall, prompting another safety car.

Verstappen set a huge milestone in the title race after the restart when he bulldozed into the lead, while Norris disastrously ran off the track and dropped to seventh.

Piastri came to the rescue and allowed Norris through in the run-up to turn four, leaving the Brit in sixth place while his rival Verstappen had let him down.

The Dutchman now leads Norris in the Drivers’ Championship with 62 points.

Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase said after the race: “Wow, it’s been a long time since I came, but boy, it was worth the wait. You’re the man.

Verstappen: “Yes! What an incredible race guys. You know what that is. Simply beautiful. I’ll tell you that.”

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