Max Verstappen breaks two F1 records by overcoming Red Bull problem

Max Verstappen

Verstappen breaks two HUGE F1 records by overcoming Red Bull problem

The Red Bull man was supreme in Brazil

Daniel Austin

Monday 4 November 2024 12:57 Updated: 17:06

At the centre of planet Earth’s most major storms is the eye - a circle of still serenity amid a swirl of surrounding chaos.

The eye moves with the storm, passing over terrain which has already been decimated by the turmoil that preceded it, and which will be further battered by the tumult that comes in the eye’s wake.

A simultaneous haven of stability and a warning that all around it is a dangerous flux, the eye is utterly unique.

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In Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix, as anarchic a race as F1 has known in recent years, triple world champion Max Verstappen was the eye of the storm.

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While around him rivals tripped over the slippery tarmac, misjudged their wet braking points and tiptoed through the proliferating puddles, Verstappen judged every move and every change of conditions pristinely.

He sliced through the field at will and displayed peerless confidence on the brakes while reading the rain to perfection. He combined those strengths with relentless pace, setting a stunning 17 fastest laps throughout a masterclass of a performance.

Verstappen went from 17th place at the start to winning by over 19 seconds once the chequered flag fell. The Dutchman is already rightly considered one of F1’s greatest champions, but this was quite simply the best drive of his career to date.

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Winning for the first time in 11 grands prix, the often impassive Verstappen was as animated and joyous over team radio as he has ever been after crossing the finish line, bellowing: “Argh! Yes! What an unbelievable race that is guys! You know what that is? Simply lovely!”

Afterwards he added: “My emotions today have been a rollercoaster. Starting P17 I knew it was going to be a very tough race. But we stayed out of trouble, stayed calm, and we were flying. Unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid.”

That ability to remain calm in treacherous conditions, which caught out fellow champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on multiple occasions, defined a stunning race for a driver who has now surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record for most consecutive days leading the world drivers’ championship.

Verstappen is now only behind Juan Manuel Fangio, Alberto Ascari and Jim Clark in terms of career win percentage, having reached 30.1% with victory here, surpassing Hamilton’s 29.75%.

For almost six months Verstappen’s Red Bull has not been the fastest car on the grid. It was surpassed by the McLaren in late spring and even the Ferrari and Mercedes were quicker at some races in late summer and early autumn.

Despite improvements in recent races, particularly to the RB20’s floor, the long-run pace of the machine Verstappen has piloted has remained relatively poor compared to the McLaren. But in Sao Paulo he completely decimated the pace of the rest of the field, overcoming the deficiencies of the car through supreme talent and perfect judgement.

Team principal Christian Horner was rightly effusive in his praise for Verstappen.

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“It was a masterclass today,” Horner said. “In those conditions the driver’s skill really comes to the fore and he was in a league of his own. An outstanding drive. He turned it all around - he passed six cars on the first lap! It was an incredible performance from him. One of his very best.

“I never expected him to win that. I thought it would be good if we could get somewhere near the podium. For him to have gone out and won that race, it was an outstanding drive. He was patient, attacked when he needed to, and his restart came from so far back. I think in the wet and the dry he’s the best in the world at the moment. You don’t often see him that animated. You can see it meant a lot to him. That was a champion’s drive.”

It was all smiles in the Red Bull garage following Max Verstappen's astonishing victory

While Verstappen was flourishing out front, title rival Lando Norris was floundering further back. The race at Interlagos was started and restarted on three separate occasions, and Norris conspired to make significant errors during all three, ultimately dropping to fifth come the finish and falling to 62 points behind Verstappen with only three race weekends remaining.

With a maximum of 84 points left to win, Verstappen’s remarkable display has essentially secured his fourth successive world championship, barring a berserk turnaround and unprecedented run of bad luck.

This was a drive that once again underscored how far clear he remains of Norris in terms of pure talent, and was worthy of winning the title in its own right.

By producing his best ever win amid such disarray, Verstappen subdued the Sao Paolo storm and tamed the tempest of the title fight in one fell swoop.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Brazilian Grand Prix