Max Verstappen won a chaotic Sao Paulo Grand Prix, surviving Sunday’s (Nov. 3) hostile weather for his first Formula 1 victory since June. Verstappen started 17th on the grid following a delayed qualifying session early in the day and benefited from a mid-race tire gamble to take the lead and control the race until the end.
Behind Verstappen were the Alpine pair of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, finishing second and third to put a silver lining in one of their team’s most difficult seasons. Prior to Sunday, neither Alpine driver had finished higher than ninth in a 2024 Grand Prix.
“My emotions today have been a roller coaster,” Verstappen told Sky Sports’ Rubens Barrichello after the race. “Starting P17 I knew that 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 flying. All of these things together made that result possible. But, unbelievable, to win here from so far back on the grid.”
Verstappen now leads Lando Norris by 62 points in the fight for the Drivers’ World Championship.
A double-podium result for Alpine was by far the most unexpected result of the 2024 season. The results netted 33 points (18 for Ocon in second, 15 for Gasly in third) for the team and elevated their total on the season to 49 after entering this weekend with 16 points. This jumped Alpine from ninth to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, overtaking Williams, Visa Cash App RB and Haas in the process.
“What a day that was,” Ocon said after the race. “After a difficult season, it’s very nice to be driving around here and having the performance leveled out in the rain. Someone very important to all of us said a long time ago that in the rain the cars are almost equal, and that phrase didn’t age at all. I’m very happy to be on the podium.”
Ocon and Gasly were among the drivers who did not pit for fresh intermediate tires as rain began to hammer the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace just before the halfway point. Leaders Norris, George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda pitting on lap 29 elevated the French duo to first and third with Verstappen sandwiched between them.
“It’s incredible for the whole team,” Gasly remarked. “We had such a tough season, we’ve struggled to score points, and in these conditions everything was possible. I wouldn’t believe it until the end. Two cars on the podium? I don’t think anyone had that one on their bingo card ahead of the season, so it’s just fantastic.”
Norris started on pole but lost the lead to Russell on the first lap, settling into second place for the first half of the race ahead of Tsunoda in third. The top three drivers were afforded the opportunity to fit fresh tires during the red-flag period that was brought out by Franco Colapinto‘s hard crash behind the Safety Car on lap 32.
Ocon pulled away from Verstappen when the race restarted before another safety car, brought out by Carlos Sainz hitting the turn 8 barriers, brought the pack back together and allowed Verstappen to overtake Ocon for the lead. Norris, who had been trying to stop the bleeding on his title hopes since the red-flag period, got a poor restart and ran wide at turn 1, losing two positions to Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in the process.
Lewis Hamilton finished 10th after struggling throughout the weekend with the handling of his Mercedes F1 W15, followed by Sergio Perez in 11th. Oliver Bearman finished 12th despite spinning twice. Bearman also collected a 10-second time penalty after making contact with the rear of Colapinto through turn 9, sending Bearman spinning. Colapinto didn’t sustain any obvious damage in the minor collision.
The race’s start was delayed heavily when Lance Stroll ran off the track during the formation lap and beached his car in the turn 4 gravel trap. This produced ample confusion. Sending the field around the track for another formation lap while safety vehicles were recovering Stroll’s car would be unsafe, but leaving the field sat on the grid while waiting for the track to be cleared could damage the cars through overheating; F1 cars are not built to sit stationary while powered on.
A brief miscommunication resulted in Norris leading the field around the circuit for a second formation lap. Race control quickly noted that explicit instruction to do so had not been issued, resulting in Norris, Russell, Tsunoda, Ocon and Liam Lawson being slated for investigation after the race.
At the time of writing, the FIA has not issued an official statement on the aforementioned investigation.
Prior to the first Safety Car period, which eventually gave way to the red flag, Nico Hulkenberg brought out the Virtual Safety Car when he spun and stalled in the run-off area. Marshalls assisted the German in getting his car going again, but this proved terminal as he was issued a black flag and disqualified from the race for receiving assistance to rejoin the track.
Williams driver Alexander Albon missed the race after suffering extensive damage to his car in a crash during qualifying.
2024 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Results
Next up on the F1 calendar is the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will take place Sunday, Nov. 24. Coverage will begin at 2 a.m. ET on ESPN.
About the author
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.
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