Lando Norris was “brilliant” in the wet and Max Verstappen’s recovery was “extraordinary”. That was the verdict of BBC Radio 5 Live F1 commentator Harry Benjamin after a Sao Paulo Grand Prix in which Norris won by 14.602 seconds and Verstappen climbed from 21st on the grid to second.
Other assessments of Sunday’s race split the pair just as narrowly. SportBible gave Verstappen 10 out of 10 and Norris nine, while Formula 1’s fan vote for Driver of the Day went to the Red Bull driver with 31.3%, ahead of Norris on 11.5%. Between them they made few errors on an afternoon when both Mercedes drivers, the Ferraris and much of the midfield were caught out by a wet-dry-wet race at Interlagos.
Norris recovers from a poor launch
Norris’s win did not come from a clean afternoon. He started from pole, his third in a row at the circuit, but lost the lead to Kimi Antonelli at the first corner and fell to third behind Liam Lawson on a damp track. He was back in second by lap six.
The decisive phase came as the circuit dried. Norris switched to slicks on lap 16, a lap before Antonelli, and Mercedes’ new world champion spun at Turn 1 four laps later to hand him the lead. George Russell had already spun at the pit exit during the same cycle of stops, costing himself 15 to 20 seconds.
From there Norris managed every change in conditions, including the heavy rain that arrived around lap 60 and sent the field back on to treaded tyres for the closing stages of the 71-lap race.
“I just kept it cool and I didn’t make any mistakes,” he said. “And I had the pace when I needed to. Nice to be back on the top step.”
The contrast with 2024 is stark. Norris started from pole at a rain-soaked Interlagos that year and finished sixth, as Verstappen won from 17th on the grid and took a decisive step towards the title. Sunday’s victory was Norris’s second in succession at the track and his third of the 2026 season.
Verstappen’s charge from the back row
Verstappen started at the rear after a power unit penalty and was seventh within five laps. He took third from Antonelli on lap 24, when the Italian ran wide at Turn 1, and Red Bull ordered Isack Hadjar to let him through in the late 30s.
That was as far as the charge went. Norris held and extended his advantage in both dry and wet running, and Verstappen suspected a problem with his car.
“It’s a really weird balance,” he said, before adding: “Starting in P21 and being on the podium in second is a very good result.”
It extended a remarkable sequence at this venue. Verstappen has now reached the podium from the back of the field in three consecutive Sao Paulo races: victory from 17th in 2024, third from the pit lane in 2025 and second this time. He moved to 279 points, 17 clear of Russell in the fight for second in the drivers’ standings, with Norris a further 16 back on 246.
Who else impressed, and what remains
Hadjar’s third place completed a double podium for Red Bull, and SportBible called it the finest race of his F1 career. The same outlet’s marks for the top 10 were:
- Max Verstappen (2nd): 10
- Lando Norris (1st): 9
- Isack Hadjar (3rd): 9
- Liam Lawson (7th): 8
- Nico Hulkenberg (10th): 8
- George Russell (4th): 7
- Kimi Antonelli (5th): 7
- Oscar Piastri (6th): 7
- Charles Leclerc (8th): 5
- Lewis Hamilton (9th): 5
Hamilton’s 400th Grand Prix start began with a rise from 20th to ninth on the opening lap, but he finished where that lap left him. Leclerc dropped behind Lawson with a five-second penalty for colliding with the Racing Bulls driver in the closing stages.
Despite their errors, fourth and fifth were enough for Mercedes to seal a ninth constructors’ title, 142 points clear of Ferrari, adding to Antonelli’s drivers’ crown. With three rounds left, starting with Las Vegas on 22 November, Red Bull lead McLaren 415 to 398 for third. On this evidence, both Norris and Verstappen will have a say in how those battles finish.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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