Max Verstappen’s memorable drive to win the Brazilian GP will define his career in Formula 1 and showed how he has matured, according to an F1 expert.
The Dutchman started 17th on the grid at Interlagos after taking a five-place grid penalty for changing components on his car. He faced a daunting challenge to catch McLaren star Lando Norris, who started from pole.
But the championship leader roared through the pack and, with some help from a red flag, snatched victory in Sao Paulo. Norris, meanwhile, was left to rue his errors after finishing sixth.
F1 journalist Brandon Sutton, speaking on the latest episode of the Total Motorsport F1 Show, hailed the three-time world champion’s heroic drive in the wet and singled out one particular moment as proof that he has matured over the last three years.
“I think all of the greats have a defining drive in their career and that one [the 2024 Brazilian GP] was Verstappen’s,” Sutton said. “The championship should’ve been blown wide open but now it’s in the bag for him.
“That’s not what anyone expected going into the race after qualifying. People maybe thought Norris would take 10 or 15 points out of the gap, expecting him [Verstappen] to work his way up to third, fourth or fifth. But Norris should go on and win the race.
“I think it shows Verstappen’s maturity as well because in the press conference afterwards, he said he didn’t try to catch [Esteban] Ocon before the red flag because he knew he was really quick.
“I think that’s something in 2021, or even the years earlier, where he would’ve tried to push to catch up. Now we’ve got a very mature Verstappen where he’s willing to take the points that come to him.”
‘Verstappen’s Brazilian GP win wasn’t lucky’
In a clip that went viral on social media, Norris suggested that the winning a race courtesy of a red flag was ‘luck not talent’, which many interpreted as a dig at Verstappen.
But Sutton explained how Red Bull outsmarted McLaren and Mercedes at the front, especially after George Russell fumed at the latter for bringing him in against his wishes when he was leading the race.
“I don’t think it was luck that Verstappen tried to stay out and wait for the red flag. Well, they got lucky with the red flag [itself but] I think Red Bull correctly read the conditions,” Sutton added.
“McLaren and Mercedes pitted for whatever reason, but why would you do that? The rain was getting worse, the Ferraris were worse in the rain. Why would you not stay out and then wait for the safety car or for the red flag that actually came?
“Red Bull and the other teams correctly read that whilst McLaren and Mercedes didn’t step back to analyse the situation.”
Verstappen’s victory puts the Red Bull star 63 points ahead of Norris in the title fight with only three races left. With a maximum 86 points left to play for, it means that mathematically Norris can still claim the title, but the Briton requires a huge stroke of fortune of his own.
