The Dutch national anthem played for the first time since Spain as Max Verstappen took the top step for the eighth time this season in Brazil. During one of the most chaotic races the sport has seen in years, there wasn’t a clear answer as to who was predicted to cross the line first.
Max Verstappen claims his first win in 10 races in Brazil. Courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool/Getty Images.
Sao Paulo hosted one of the sprint weekends on the calendar, giving the drivers only one free practice to get a feel of the track and racing conditions. There was a risk of rain during the sprint qualifying session, so most drivers went out early to get their lap times in case of a red flag.
Oscar Piastri clinched his second career Sprint Pole, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc following behind. Red Bull seemed to struggle over the other top teams in the rain, with Verstappen qualifying in fourth and Sergio Perez falling back to 13th after being knocked out of SQ2.
While McLaren still claimed a win during the sprint race, it wasn’t the Australian pole-sitter. Piastri led the race up to the end, with the team ultimately deciding to switch their drivers on lap 22 of 24, a risky but effective move. Verstappen climbed up to third, finishing in the top three and keeping Norris from creating a larger gap in the title fight.
Qualifying was originally planned only a few hours after the sprint, but the rain prevented the session from starting on time. After a few delays, qualifying was eventually postponed to take place the next morning on Sunday before the Grand Prix.
There was a slight chance the session would have to be canceled completely. If this were to have happened, the results from FP1 would have set the positions for the race, which would have shaken up the grid quite a bit.
Qualifying finally took place early in the morning on Sunday, and it was clear that the wet tyres would be the best bet, as the downpour only seemed to be getting stronger. From the beginning, it was obvious that the session would be chaotic, with drivers going off-track and nearly wrecking at multiple corners.
The first red flag came out after Franco Colapinto spun into the barriers at Turn 3. It was a frustrating moment for Colapinto, as he is currently fighting to gain a seat for the 2025 season. Despite his bad luck, he wasn’t the only driver to run into complications during Qualifying.
Nico Hulkenberg and Oliver Bearman were both knocked out of Q1, a shocking exit for Haas. After two fantastic races during the triple-header, the American team had fallen back in Brazil and had a lot to fight for during the race.
The red flags waved once again, but this time for the recent race winner in Mexico. Carlos Sainz went into the barriers, forcing him out of the session and knocked out of Q2. While it’s a long way off from where he was the weekend before, the crash was understandable due to the weather conditions.
It wasn’t long before the third red flag occurred during the session. With only 46 seconds left in Q2, Lance Stroll crashed and became another driver that was knocked out of the session. With such a short amount of time left, it was announced that Q2 would not be resumed and Q3 would begin instead.
Both Red Bulls were knocked out of Q2, with Verstappen back in 12th and his teammate right behind. He still had a 5-grid-penalty to serve, which would knock him back even further. With the harsh weather conditions only increasing, he had a lot to make up for during the race.
To no one’s surprise, the red flags came out two more times before the session ended. Fernando Alonso crashed out, prompting the session to stop once again. Shortly after, the flags waved red for Alex Albon, who had a big crash as well. Both the Aston Martin and William’s drivers were out of qualifying, an unlucky ending for the teams.
Norris had been in good form since the sprint race, claiming pole in qualifying. George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda followed behind to finish out the top three. It was an amazing result for RB, with Tsunoda in third and his teammate Liam Lawson qualifying fifth. It was a very mixed grid heading into the race, but that’s what makes the sport so exciting.
The chaos began during the formation lap before the race even started. Stroll crashed, knocking off his front wing leading to an aborted start. Norris was noted for an infringement by race control after he seemed to be preparing for another formation lap, with the rest of the grid staying put.
He wasn’t the only driver that was confused, as Colapinto pulled into Stroll’s empty grid slot. It was also announced that Albon would not be able to start the race due to his crash in qualifying. His future teammate Carlos Sainz would start from the pit lane after taking on a new power unit following his crash.
As the lights went out only hours later, there was a lot of anticipation heading into the race. With bad weather conditions and a mixed-up grid, anything could happen. Verstappen was starting the race from 17th, with his title rival in the best possible position in pole.
Norris lost the lead at the start, with Russell getting a better start and climbing into first place. By lap 6, Verstappen was already in ninth place, an impressive performance by the Dutch driver.
Russell takes the lead at the beginning of the race. Courtesy of Mercedes Media Centre/LAT Images.
On lap 30, the safety car was deployed due to the weather conditions, and shortly after, a red flag was waved after Colapinto crashed. Williams was under extreme pressure, with multiple crashes over the past two weekends.
The red flags weren’t the only spotlight of the weekend, as a rare black flag was waved for Hulkenberg. He was disqualified from the race for receiving assistance to rejoin the race after sliding off the track. He became the first driver to receive a black flag in over 17 years.
When the race resumed, countless drivers spun out, crashed, or vocalized their struggles. Bearman was one of the most outspoken, being pushed into the race weekend suddenly and claiming he was “trying not to die” during the race.
In total, the five drivers out of the race consisted of Sainz, Colapinto, Albon, Stroll, and Hulkenberg. There were two DNFs, two cars that did not start, and Hulkenberg’s disqualification. This is a surprisingly low number of drivers considering the dangerous conditions and near-crashes that occurred.
When the chequered flag was finally waved after the red flags, crashes, and penalties, celebrations commenced. Verstappen had made his way back to the top step, with Alpine scoring a double podium finish in Brazil.
It was a historic day for the two French drivers, as they managed to hold on during the race and score vital points for the team. With 33 points to bring home, Alpine rose to sixth in the constructor standings, passing Haas by three points.
Alpine scored a double podium finish in Brazil, earning the team major points. Courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool/Getty Images.
There is a lot of discussion over the conditions of the race and what the drivers had to go through, but there is good that came from it. One of the most noteworthy takeaways from Brazil was Verstappen’s impressive drive from 17th place to P1, a feat that hasn’t been seen in the sport in a long time.
Lewis Hamilton also had the opportunity to honor his idol, the late Ayrton Senna, driving his McLaren MP4/5B. Hamilton was made an honorary citizen of Brazil in 2022, so there is no doubt that this moment was extremely special for the British driver.
There are now only three races left of the 2024 season. After a short break, Formula 1 will return on the strip in Las Vegas to kick off the final triple-header. Titles are still up for grabs, and Vegas may be the place where the World Champion is decided, but only time will tell.
Edited by Reese Dlabach
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