Max Verstappen produces wonder drive to claim F1 São Paulo Grand Prix

  • Champion wins from 17th place on grid
  • Lando Norris’s title hopes in tatters

When the world championship is finally decided, the moment where it was surely settled was ­appropriately with what must be considered the drive of the ­season from Max ­Verstappen. The ­Dutchman’s ­uncompromising style and ­aggression has come under ­enormous scrutiny of late but with his victory from 17th on the grid at the São Paulo Grand Prix he gave a stark reminder that, for all that, he is an exceptional driver and in so doing left his title rival Lando ­Norris’s hopes shattered.

This was a peerless performance, a masterclass in the rain in Brazil that has deservedly all but clinched Verstappen’s fourth title but a more unlikely win was hard to imagine before the lights went out.

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Two years after Ross Chastain made himself a viral star with the “Hail Melon,” the complexion of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Championship 4 field again came down to a fateful last-lap meeting with Martinsville Speedway’s outside retaining wall. Christopher Bell’s version Sunday night was more of a half-melon that forced a tiebreaker […]

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MARTINSVILLE, Va. — He did it again. For the second straight year, defending series champion Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 elimination race at Martinsville Speedway to advance to the Championship 4. And as Blaney took the checkered flag to win Sunday’s Xfinity 500, Christopher Bell made a kamikaze move into […]

Max Verstappen to start F1 São Paulo GP from 17th as Lando Norris secures pole

  • McLaren driver prevails in delayed, dramatic session
  • Max Verstappen in 17th before potentially defining race

Lando Norris took pole position for the São Paulo Grand Prix in a dramatic and incident-packed qualifying session that could presage a major shift in his world championship battle with Max Verstappen. It puts the McLaren driver in the best possible position to make a huge move in closing the gap to Verstappen, who was unlucky and caught out in qualifying and finished 12th, which will mean he will start the race from 17th with a five-place grid penalty.

Qualifying had been postponed from Saturday after a torrential rainstorm had engulfed Interlagos and instead took place on Sunday morning. When it got going, once more in the wet, Verstappen was unable to finish his final quick lap in Q2 when the session was stopped after a crash by Lance Stroll. The world champion now faces an enormous task in the race.

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