During the sprint race, the Brit did exactly that, claiming his first ever sprint race victory thanks to a helping hand from team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Piastri started from pole, and looked like he had the pace to lead the race from start to finish, but let his championship-chasing team-mate through a few laps from the end after McLaren team orders.
Meanwhile, Verstappen crossed the line in third, but the Dutchman was later demoted to fourth, with the FIA handing him a five-second penalty for breaching virtual safety car rules.
Charles Leclerc therefore inherited third, with Carlos Sainz and Mercedes star George Russell rounding out the top six, in a format in which the top eight receive points in one-point increments from first-eighth.
Below is the final classification from the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race.