Race Report: Verstappen wins soggy Sao Paulo GP from 17th

Max Verstappen triumphed from 17th place in a rain-soaked Formula 1 São Paulo Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. After a frustrating weekend plagued with penalties and setbacks, Red Bull and Verstappen capitalized on the wet Interlagos circuit to pass the entire field, winning by over 19 seconds. Alpine impressively locked out the remaining podium spots.

Win

Red Bull & Max Verstappen:
A monumental win for Red Bull and Max Verstappen, who overcame a series of setbacks to clinch victory. Verstappen faced a 5-second penalty in the Sprint race, was eliminated in Q1, and started 17th on the grid due to an additional 5-place engine penalty. By staying out during the first VSC (Virtual Safety Car) while rivals Lando Norris and George Russell pitted, Max benefited from a subsequent red flag, which allowed him and both Alpine drivers, who also stayed out, to change tires for free. Verstappen’s performance extended his championship lead from 44 to 62 points by Sunday evening.

Alpine’s Resurgence:
A massive win for Alpine, who also struggled in qualifying but found their footing in the wet conditions. Both Alpines remained out under the VSC, capitalized on the restarts, and secured a podium lockout, with Esteban Ocon in 2nd and Pierre Gasly in 3rd. This result propelled Alpine to 6th in the Constructors’ Championship—a position that could be worth as much as $50 million if they maintain it.

George Russell:
Russell also secured a win for himself, leading early and ultimately finishing in P4. While he may have hoped for victory, Russell’s performance far outshone teammate Lewis Hamilton, who struggled in the midfield. Russell’s points haul is valuable for Mercedes’ Constructors’ Championship battle.

AlphaTauri’s Resilience:
A strong performance from Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson delivered a big win for AlphaTauri. Despite clashes with other drivers, Lawson secured P9, while Tsunoda, who was running in P3 early in the race, finished in P7. Their results keep the Constructors’ standings tight among Red Bull, Haas, and Alpine.

Fail

McLaren’s Missed Opportunity:
A disappointing result for McLaren after a promising start to the weekend. Following a Sprint victory and pole position for the race, they finished P6 and P8 with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, respectively. Norris lost the lead to Russell on the first lap, and a pit stop just as the VSC ended allowed Verstappen and the Alpines to gain track position. A few errors saw Norris run wide, surrendering P4 and P5 to Russell and Charles Leclerc. This race, where he needed to gain ground on Max, ended up extending the gap with only three races remaining.

Ferrari’s Fumble:
After two consecutive wins, Ferrari seemed off the pace this weekend. Despite hopes that the rain might play to their strengths, Carlos Sainz spun out, and Charles Leclerc could only muster a P5 finish. Their recent momentum failed to carry into São Paulo.

Lewis Hamilton & Sergio Perez’s Struggles:
A miserable outing for Lewis Hamilton, who struggled throughout the race and voiced complaints about the car’s handling. Sergio Perez similarly had a tough time, with both drivers finishing outside the points in P10 and P11, respectively.

WTH

Kevin Magnussen’s Absence:
Did Kevin Magnussen have the same fish tacos as Fernando Alonso in Mexico? Unfortunate not to see Magnussen in the race. Rookie Oliver Bearman, in his absence, showed he still has some learning to do, and Franco Colapinto’s race also ended in the wall, reinforcing the challenges rookies face on the grid.

VSC Pit Stop Timing Controversy:
The debate around pitting under VSC arose, with both George and Lando criticizing the decision to box just as the VSC was ending. However, had there been no red flag immediately after, they would have looked favorable on new intermediates as the rain intensified, while Verstappen and the Alpines would have been on worn tires. It was a strategic gamble that ultimately didn’t pay off but had potential.

Wet-Weather Drivers:
While some sympathize with Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez, they aren’t known for wet-weather prowess, which was evident in their performances today.

Race Control Delays:
The delays in calling the VSC or SC during qualifying and the race raised some eyebrows. While fans saw this as potentially disadvantaging Verstappen, it’s a serious safety concern to have drivers on track when another driver is out of the car. Safety must remain the priority, even if it affects strategy.

Pirelli’s View:

Track action began at 7.30 with qualifying, put back from yesterday because of the adverse weather conditions. Once again today, the rain played its part, with no drivers able to use dry weather tyres. The extreme wet featured in the first part of qualifying, before the Intermediate came into play. There were no fewer than five interruptions caused by drivers crashing, in a session that therefore lasted almost an hour and 45 minutes, with the rain varying in intensity several times.

The race was rescheduled to start at 12.30 and apart from it being red flagged towards the halfway mark because of heavy rain reducing visibility to a precarious degree, it went ahead with just a few Safety Car appearances. Over the 69 laps (the race distance was reduced by two laps due to the two aborted start procedures) the Intermediate did the lion’s share of the work. Only five drivers – Perez, Lawson, Tsunoda, Zhou and Hulkenberg – also used the Extreme when the rain got heavier, but then the red flag reset everything, and for the restart the Intermediate was clearly best suited to the track conditions. There were 33 tyre changes, including those under the red flag and a total of 51 sets were used, five of them for extreme wets. Of the drivers who finished the race, only four used two sets of Intermediates, namely Valtteri Bottas and the three drivers who finished on the podium.

Following a similar event at the Imola Grand Prix, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix provided another opportunity to remember Ayrton Senna in the thirtieth anniversary year of his tragic death. Pirelli contributed by producing a special edition of the Pole Position Award, presented to Lando Norris by Ayrton’s niece, Bianca Senna, the director of the eponymous institute, as well as a special version of the iconic Podium Cap. Both items featured the gold and green colours of the Brazilian flag, along with the Senna logo. Bianca is the daughter of the three-times world champion’s sister, Viviane, who founded the non-profit organisation that has been involved in supporting educational projects for Brazilian children and teenagers for the past thirty years.

Sao Paul GP Results: