Max Verstappen delivered a driving masterclass on Sunday during a chaotic, wet Sao Paulo Grand Prix, winning from 17th on the grid. But there’s more to the story. It’s about the two Versappen’s.
After one of his best Formula One drives on Sunday in Brazil, Max Verstappen has one hand on his fourth Drivers World Title.
The race outcome was a huge turnaround for Verstappen following the earlier qualifying session in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Heavy rain on Saturday at Interlagos caused the qualifying session to be postponed until race day morning. During qualifying, Verstappen fell victim to the timing of a red flag in the 2nd session. It meant he would start the Grand Prix in 17th place after a five-place grid penalty was applied for an additional engine change.
With his closest championship rival in the pole position, McLaren’s Lando Norris was expected to cut into Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship. That didn’t happen because Verstappen turned out to be the class of the field. He progressed to 10th place by the end of the first lap, eventually taking the race lead from Estaban Ocon on the re-start after a second safety car period. Meanwhile, Norris finished 6th and now faces Verstappen’s 62-point lead in the Drivers Championship standings.
While Verstappen’s incredible Sunday turnaround seems miraculous at first glance, he was fortunate because a risky gamble paid off. As rain increased during the race, most of the field pitted for fresh intermediate tires, a sensible decision. Fresh wet or intermediate tires are the best option to cope with the increased rain intensity. But Verstappen and the two Alpine drivers—Estaban Ocon and Pierre Gasly—opted to stay out on old tires, hoping the rain would become too heavy and a red flag would be called. They would change tires without the usual pit-stop time loss if that happened.
Their gamble paid off after Williams driver Franco Colapinto crashed behind the safety car, and the red flag was waved to allow the debris from the crash to be cleared safely. To no surprise, the top three race finishers were (in order) Verstappen, Ocon, and Gasly.
Nothing should be taken away from Verstappen’s performance despite cashing in on the gamble. He won the race by almost 20 seconds over Ocon and would have likely won regardless of a red flag.
However, Verstappen’s performance in Brazil must be interpreted in contrast to recent performances at the U.S. and Mexico Grand Prix. Verstappen openly admits he drives beyond the rules regarding overtaking maneuvers, both in defense and in the attack. Many believe that he often drives beyond the limits of the rules.
When Max Verstappen drives with the quality he displayed during the Brazilian Grand Prix, he is rightly spoken about with the same regard as other great Formula One drivers of all time. However, his Formula One legacy is tainted. When he has to fight for victory, a different interpretation surfaces. He does not adhere to the standards required of the best Formula One drivers, and that is where he will ultimately fall short compared to the greatest Formula One drivers of all time.
No one can dispute that Max Verstappen delivered an outstanding individual performance in the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The question is how he will conduct himself the next time he has to fight for a victory. Will he stretch or go beyond the rules again?
