Off the back of their clashes in the previous two races, the title contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris came into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend separated by 47 points. Which meant Norris needed to out-score his rival by an average of almost 12 points per meeting if he was to become world champion. This seemed unlikely – but the Brazilian track does have a reputation for randomising. It certainly added to that this weekend, with Saturday qualifying rained off and the Sunday session subject to five red flags in the treacherous conditions.
The fortunes of the two contenders swung dramatically throughout the weekend as Interlagos lived up to its reputation. But ultimately it lay witness to a Verstappen masterclass to victory from 17th on the grid. Here’s how it played out.
A new power unit outside of his allocation meant Verstappen would be taking a five-place grid hit here. “We chose to do it here because at least it’s a track on which you can overtake,” explained team boss Christian Horner.