Impressive comeback from Max Verstappen sees him finish third in Brazilan Grand Prix

Starting from the pit lane, Max Verstappen managed to fight his way up to third place in the São Paulo Grand Prix. The reigning world champion couldn’t stop Britain’s Lando Norris from taking the win for McLaren at Brazil’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace, while Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed second.

With his win, Norris increased his total to 390 points, stretching his advantage over Verstappen to 49. His McLaren teammate, Australian driver Oscar Piastri, still holds second place in the standings with 366 points. There are still three races left in the championship battle, with the next stop being the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22.

Following a poor qualifying session that left him in 16th place, Verstappen began the race from the pit lane. Red Bull fitted his car with a new power unit and made several setup changes, giving the Dutchman hope of salvaging some championship points.

Norris made a clean start, holding on to his lead off the line. A crash by Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoleto brought out the safety car, giving Verstappen, already up to 16th, a chance to close the gap. When racing resumed, Verstappen climbed to 13th. Meanwhile, Piastri overtook Antonelli for second but clipped the Italian, who then pushed Charles Leclerc off the track. The incident resulted in a ten-second penalty for the Australian.

After picking up a puncture, Verstappen made a pit stop for fresh tires. Switching to the medium compound, he began charging through the field, reaching ninth by lap 18 and climbing to fourth with a combination of strong pace and strategic pit stops.

When Norris pitted for a second time on lap 51, Verstappen briefly found himself in the lead. He then opted for a final switch to soft tires, hunted down George Russell, and overtook him with eight laps to go. Despite closing in on Antonelli in the closing stages, Verstappen couldn’t find a way past the young Italian.

Norris claimed a dominant win in Brazil, and with the 8 points from his sprint race victory, he collected the maximum 33 points. Leading his teammate by 24 points, who came in fifth, he is now on the verge of securing his first world championship.