Max Verstappen Wins Chaotic Sao Paulo Grand Prix; Alpine Score Shock Double Podium
Max Verstappen delivered an incredible performance to clinch victory in the thrilling Sao Paulo Grand Prix, rising from P17 on the grid to secure his first win since June. The race was marked by unpredictable weather and significant drama, including a double podium finish for Alpine.
The chaos began even before the race kicked off, as Lance Stroll spun during the formation lap, causing confusion over the start procedure. Pole-sitter Lando Norris led several cars away while others remained on the grid, prompting an investigation into Norris, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, and Liam Lawson for potential infringements.
Once the race commenced, Russell had a strong start, taking the lead from Norris, while Verstappen began his charge through the field. The weather continued to shift, leading to a red flag on Lap 32 after Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams, shortly after Russell and Norris pitted just as a Virtual Safety Car period ended.
When the race resumed, Esteban Ocon was in the lead, followed by Verstappen and Pierre Gasly. After another restart, following a Safety Car due to Carlos Sainz’s crash, Verstappen seized the lead and remained unchallenged, finishing 19.477 seconds ahead of the pack.
It was a fantastic day for Alpine, with Ocon and Gasly finishing in second and third, respectively, allowing the team to leap from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings. Russell finished fourth for Mercedes, followed by Charles Leclerc in fifth and Norris in a disappointing sixth, losing ground to Verstappen in the championship race. Oscar Piastri finished seventh for McLaren but received a 10-second penalty for a collision, dropping him to eighth, promoting Tsunoda to seventh and Lawson to ninth.
Lewis Hamilton rounded out the points in tenth after fending off a late challenge from Sergio Perez, who finished eleventh. Ollie Bearman took twelfth for Haas, despite some off-track incidents and a penalty. Valtteri Bottas followed in thirteenth, with Fernando Alonso and Zhou Guanyu rounding out the classified finishers.
Both Sainz and Colapinto retired due to their crashes, while Nico Hulkenberg received a black flag just before the race restart for needing assistance from marshals. Stroll did not start the race following his earlier spin, and Alex Albon was unable to participate due to car repairs not being completed in time after his qualifying crash.
