F1 news LIVE: Max Verstappen taunts British press after stunning win in Brazil
F1 reaction after Verstappen surges from P17 to P1 to win chaotic wet race in Sao Paulo on Sunday
Max Verstappen dealt a fatal blow to Lando Norris’ F1 world championship hopes by racing from 17th on the grid to win a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix in a performance for the ages.
A poor qualifying display and engine penalty meant Verstappen started Sunday’s round with only three cars behind him. But Verstappen assumed the lead of the race on lap 43 of 69 and never looked back in the treacherous conditions to claim a remarkable win that edges him ever closer to a fourth consecutive title.
Verstappen becomes the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen 19 years ago to win a race from as far back on the grid, taking the chequered flag an extraordinary 19.4 seconds clear of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who were a surprise second and third for Alpine.
George Russell was fourth, one spot ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Norris, who started from pole position, finished only sixth on a desperately disappointing afternoon for the British driver in Sao Paulo.
Follow all the latest updates from the Brazilian Grand Prix:
INVESTIGATIONS UPDATE:
The update? No update.
Lando Norris, George Russell, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are still under investigation about the aborted start procedure. A representative from each team is seeing the stewards right now.
Quite why it has taken so long I don’t know.
Mercedes’ tyre pressure potential illegality also still under investigation.
Lando Norris says Max Verstappen ‘got lucky’ as F1 title hopes fade in Brazil
Lando Norris insists Max Verstappen “got lucky” after the Dutchman claimed a sensational win at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris, who started on pole position, lost the lead at the start to George Russell with both British drivers dropping places after pitting just before a red flag.
Full piece below:
Lando Norris says Max Verstappen ‘got lucky’ as F1 title hopes fade in Brazil
Verstappen started 17th but claimed a sensational win amid drama in the rain at Interlagos
Statement from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali:
“I want to thank all our fans and everyone working across the sport for their patience and dedication this weekend. I believe it was the right thing to do to move qualifying and the race to earlier on Sunday to maximise the opportunity for racing to take place because of the potential forecast later in the day.
“It is a tribute to our fans in Brazil that over 290,000 joined us for this incredible weekend of racing and we had an unforgettable race.
“A big thanks to all the fans, FIA, promoter, drivers, teams, media, broadcasters, and marshals that made the weekend a great success under challenging circumstances.”
RACE REPORT: Max Verstappen deals fatal F1 title blow to Lando Norris with stunning win in Brazil
Max Verstappen dealt a fatal blow to Lando Norris’ F1 world championship hopes by racing from 17th on the grid to win a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix in a performance for the ages.
A poor qualifying display and engine penalty meant Verstappen started Sunday’s round with only three cars behind him. But Verstappen assumed the lead of the race on lap 43 of 69 and never looked back in the treacherous conditions to claim a remarkable win that edges him ever closer to a fourth consecutive title.
Max Verstappen deals fatal F1 title blow to Lando Norris with stunning win in Brazil
The Dutchman claimed a remarkable win from P17 that edges him ever closer to a fourth consecutive title
Lewis Hamilton after finishing P10:
“We were just slow. I want to say a super thank you to the guys in the garage, up so early.
“They’ll be feeling pain, we could have won [with George]. “
On the car: “It’s like a plank of wood, no suspension. Bouncing on the tyres, can’t get on the power anywhere. Worst ride we’ve ever had, particualrly through corners, so stiff.
“Hopefully we won’t have anymore bumpy tracks, the last three aren’t so bouncy, I could happily go and take a holiday.”
More from Lando Norris:
“I have faith in the team in what they’re saying, they have trust in me. It was the right thing to do, we were just unlucky. I don’t care about the hindsight of things. That’s luck for them, nothing more.
“They got lucky. A rule no one agrees with, they agree with it today, but every driver disagreed with it in the past. Today it benefited them, it could’ve benefited us if we stayed out - but that’s a stupid thing to think.
“A bit unlucky today, nothing more. Disappointing with the result, could have been better but we’ll keep pushing.”
“He drove well, he got a bit lucky!”
F1 Brazil GP LIVE: Lando Norris after finishing sixth...
On start: “A wet start is a bit of a gamble. It will go your way one day, the other day not. The left side was a bit better than the right side. That didn’t change much. All of our position losses were under the red flag with the free pit stop for the others. It’s unfortunate, nothing more.
George probably felt he deserved to win the race today more than anyone else. But sometimes it’s just unlucky and the rules go against you. A difficult day, I made a couple of mistakes. Cost us me against George and Charles. Nothing more, it was a tough day, I did my best.
“I’ve had a lot of good races, it was about time something didn’t go right.”
Constructors’ Championship after Brazil GP
1. McLaren - 593 points
2. Ferrari - 557 points
3. Red Bull Racing - 544 points
4. Mercedes - 382 points
5. Aston Martin - 86 points
6. Alpine - 49 points
7. Haas - 46 points
8. RB - 44 points
8. Williams - 17 points
10. Sauber - 0 points
Investigations ongoing:
-Norris, Tsunoda, Gasly and Russell under investigation for breaching start procedure
-Russell and Hamilton under investigation for altering tyre pressure in illegal manner.
Will keep you updated.
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