Max Verstappen added another layer to his champion status in Formula One by winning Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo in the most challenging conditions where he tamed the elements in a manner that evoked comparisons with late Ayrton Senna.
The whole weekend was jinxed for most of the drivers.
With the qualifying as well pushed to Sunday because of heavy rain, this was going to be more about tyre strategy and how to deal with the conditions. For Verstappen, there was agony in store as he had earned penalties and was pushed to the 17th spot on the starting grid.
No driver would have given himself a ghost of a chance in such challenging conditions where the drivers were unable to control certain factors. It was well beyond them. Out came Max Verstappen in his Red Bull, eating up the track mile by mile. How he mastered it was out of the world which had the commentators in raptures.
This was no joke to be out in the rain and go flat out. With each lap, Max was able to showcase his skills. It is one thing to be at the best behind the wheel in dry conditions. After a stop-start qualifying, to come out hungry in the race and push hard defined Max and how he is a real beast in the Red Bull even when the track is dangerously slippery.
This was being built up as a season where the title fight would go down to the wire. Before the race began, Lando Norris had every chance of cutting into the overall points lead and making it difficult for the Dutchman. Perhaps, after going through 10 races where Max Verstappen was not at his best, he finally found that cutting edge.
Racing in the rain is full of thrill. It tests man more than a machine. Anyone who watched Max eat up the track and push from the 17th spot to the top spot and take the chequered flag will vouch this was the best one has seen from the defending champion.
He has been under immense pressure this season and there have been a lot of heated exchanges as well between Max and the rest in the paddock. But on Sunday, nothing mattered to Max Verstappen. He knew if he had not done well, this championship was going to be over.
As it were, he had even threatened to quit F1 after this season due to certain reasons beyond his control. Then came the master class in the rain, where Max himself described it as being inside a jet-ski or a boat. Imagine, pushing pedal to the metal at such high speeds, coming up with five consecutive fastest laps.
This was stunning, even as many famed drivers fell by the wayside/crashed. Some lost control, some went into the wall and there was one man who was hell-bent on coming up with one of the best-ever wet race master classes.
This was an excellent exhibition of a driver’s skills, his mental makeup, handling pressure, and hitting top gear. Max Verstappen knows the season remainder may look easy for him. But he is not going to take it easy, with three more Grand Prix to go.
The margin between him and Lando Norris has opened up, 62 points. There are a maximum possible 86 points which can be won. Yes, Max was happy to hear the national anthem but is also aware he has to show the same intensity. To be winless in 10 races and bounce back like this has been defining.
With three more races to go, he could well seal the deal in Las Vegas on November 24. The challenge at the Interlagos Circuit in Sao Paulo brought the best out of Max Verstappen. Conditions in Las Vegas will be very different. More importantly, the Red Bull beast and Max have become a potent combo again.
