You know, I have been quite harsh on Red Bull over the last few articles I have written about Formula One. I truly foresaw a similar outcome with Red Bull delivering another underwhelming performance in Brazil, but Mad Max goes into a quite literal ‘Mamba’ mentality and annihilates the grid, which was not something I expected.
Pre-Race Chaos and Formation Lap Fumbles
Drama brewed even before the green light, as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll lost control on the damp track during the formation lap, beaching his car in the gravel.
Now with an aborted start, pole-sitter Lando Norris instinctively led several cars for another formation lap, while others stayed put, causing a whirlwind of confusion and a post-race investigation for Norris, Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, and Liam Lawson. The reason? According to the FIA, they were to stay on the grid!
Stroll’s race, however, was over, as was Alex Albon’s, who was already out after Williams failed to repair his car in time following his crash during the qualifiers.
The São Paulo GP began with only 18 cars ready to battle!
The Launch: Russell Surges Ahead, Verstappen Begins the Climb
When the lights finally went out, George Russell made a clean getaway, grabbing the lead from Norris, who was visibly struggling to match the Mercedes’ traction off the line.
Mad Max, starting from a penalty-induced P17, immediately set his sights on the podium, overtaking one car after another, despite the torrential rain.
By Lap 4, Verstappen had many mid-pack drivers in his rearview, reaching P10 and finding himself in a wheel-to-wheel battle with his former rival, Lewis Hamilton.
Meanwhile, his Red Bull teammate Perez suffered a spin that dropped him to the back of the pack, tarnishing Red Bull’s hopes of a double-point finish.
A Strategic Gamble: Rain Returns, Teams Weigh Pit Calls
As intermittent rain challenged the drivers’ grip and focus, Leclerc was the first to pit, hoping to find an edge with fresh intermediates. Soon after, both Norris and Russell came in as the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) phase ended, but their gamble to switch tyres under caution failed.
They emerged from the pits to find the VSC had been lifted, causing them to lose valuable track positions.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, continued making moves, quickly passing those caught out by the strategy mishap. Much like Shakespeare’s As You Like It (and, yes, I am a Bard), this also set the stage for a reshuffle, with Ocon unexpectedly climbing to the lead!
Things began to look settled for the grid as everyone found a groove—the kind we fans dislike as it’s devoid of any drama! But then Franco Colapinto’s crash in the Williams brought out the red flag on Lap 32, halting the action and sending drivers into the pits. Tantalisingly!
The race continued in wet conditions with Alpine’s Ocon leading, Max close behind, and Gasly in third. A double podium for the French outfit? Maybe…
With Max ready to seize his chance, he attacked Ocon almost immediately, taking the lead with a move on Lap 43 that would send shivers down your spine.
As Mad Max stormed into a commanding lead, McLaren’s Norris dropped to seventh after a wide moment during the restart, a costly slip that highlighted the punishing grip conditions on the drying track.
Behind them, Russell and Leclerc found themselves in a tight battle for fourth, with Leclerc also under scrutiny for a possible unsafe return to the track.
Alpine’s Unexpected Double Podium
For Alpine, it was a dream race, reminiscent of the good old days of 2006! With Ocon and Gasly holding strong in P2 and P3, Alpine’s pit wall erupted with each passing lap as their double-podium prospect came closer to reality.
Russell mounted a late challenge on Gasly, edging closer as the laps wound down but couldn’t quite close the gap in time. When the chequered flag fell, Ocon and Gasly celebrated an impressive one-two finish for Alpine, launching the team from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings!
The French were ecstatic last evening—something akin to the 1998 World Cup, but for Formula One fans.
Final Laps: Fights for the Remaining Points
The final laps were anything but straightforward for the rest of the field. Hamilton, who had climbed from P14, fended off a determined Perez to secure P10, denying the Red Bull driver a single point.
Meanwhile, Bearman and Colapinto clashed earlier in the race, resulting in a 10-second penalty for the Haas driver. Further up, Tsunoda took advantage of a 10-second penalty for Oscar Piastri, who had collided with Lawson, moving up to seventh as McLaren’s hope for a double-points finish dimmed.
Verstappen’s Dominant Finish: A Well-Deserved Victory
Crossing the line with a gap of 19.477 seconds to Ocon, Verstappen claimed his first win since the Spanish GP, reminding the world why he’s the reigning champion. His victory gave him much-needed breathing room, extending his championship lead to 52 points!
