Fear and Loathing in Sao Paulo: What We Learned from the Brazil GP
Just like the Mexican GP, this last race weekend was destined to be a crazy weekend with rain predictions and Kevin Magnussen calling in sick allowing Oliver Bearman to race again for Haas. The only real notable event of the Friday sprint qualifying and free practice session was Max Verstappen receiving a five-place grid penalty on Sunday for taking a new engine. McLaren took pole through Oscar Piastri with Lando Norris right behind for the sprint going in to maintain a one-two finish with the drivers switching positions inching Norris closer to Verstappen in the Driver’s Championship rankings. However, things got really interesting after the sprint race on Saturday as the Drivers began the qualifying session.
The qualifying session was postponed due to rain to take place on Sunday morning before the race. Even though it was postponed the drivers could not escape the rain which made for one of the most interesting qualifying results of the season. Not only did five cars crash out of qualifying throughout the three rounds but we saw a final starting grid of Norris in pole, George Russel second, Yuki Tsunoda third, Estaban Ocon fourth, and Liam Lawson fifth. Notably Verstappen qualified seventeenth, giving Norris a great opportunity to shrink the point gap even further. The rain had other ideas unfortunately for the British driver as in the formation lap with all cars on intermediate tires saw Lance Stroll lose traction and slide off the track into the wall causing an aborted start.
There was some confusion with the aborted start procedure seeing Russel and Norris receive a fine after the race for not acting properly. Once the race finally started, we saw Norris lose first and Russel take the lead. All the while Verstappen was charging up the grid, already in sixth after just seven laps. The rain began to pour down with drivers like Piastri and Bearman asking for a red flag out of fear of crashing as the spray coming off of the car in front was blinding. The red flag did come out once Franco Colapinto crashed into the wall, however, it was right after Norris and Russel had just pitted and changed tires seeing Verstappen now in the lead of the race not even halfway through. Verstappen would go on to win the race, nearly fully securing his fourth world championship with just three races to go, also seeing both Alpine drivers Ocon and Pierre Gasly find the podium, shooting Alpine up the constructor’s championship.
The aftermath of the Brazil GP has been just as hectic as the race. Critics have begun to question the FIA’s priorities after multiple drivers were asked for a red flag to come out before someone crashed and then it not being shown until Colapinto slammed into the wall. Norris’s championship charge which was already being doubted by critics and fans alike is under even more fire after his unlucky pit stop timing and lack of pace during the race. Verstappen put on a masterclass of wet weather racing yet still came under fire for his driving style and “luck” to some extent for the win. Brazil tends to give fans a great show but this year it fully delivered in conjunction with the rain and gaggle of rookie drivers.
