Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday despite starting 17th on the grid.

The Dutchman moved one step closer to a fourth consecutive drivers’ championship after dealing a major blow to McLaren’s Lando Norris. Verstappen increased his lead at the top from 44 to 62 points with three races remaining.

Verstappen could secure the title in Las Vegas on November 23.

In one of the best races of his career, Verstappen overcame pre-race penalties and rain at Interlagos to claim his first win since June and his eighth this year.

The Dutchman also set the fastest lap in the race, giving him an extra point.
Norris started from pole position but finished a disappointing sixth. The Briton could even pull further away from Verstappen as a post-race investigation looms for him.

Verstappen was expecting a difficult weekend in Sao Paulo. He was given a five-place grid penalty after changing his engine for the sixth time this season – the maximum allowed is four. The Dutchman lost a point in Saturday’s sprint race due to another penalty. Then, his qualifying earlier on Sunday was interrupted when he was 12th and attempting a fast lap to reach the final part of the session.

“My emotions were a roller coaster today,” he said after the race. “We stayed out of trouble, made the right decisions and flew through the race. It’s like I’m driving a boat.”

Frenchmen Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly of Alpine completed the podium. Charles Leclerc, who could still aspire to the drivers’ championship, finished fifth.

Quebecer Lance Stroll, aboard his Aston Martin, did not finish the race.

F1’s governing body, the FIA, had rescheduled qualifying for 7:30am local time after heavy rain on Saturday. The start of the Grand Prix was brought forward from 2pm to 12:30pm, with many in the pits still wondering whether drivers would get behind the wheel in the morning.

The tense race in the rain in São Paulo got off to a screeching start when Stroll went off track on the formation lap. Norris was unable to hold on to his lead into the first corner, losing it to fellow Mercedes driver George Russell. The McLaren driver struggled to find his line in the rain, something Verstappen managed from the start.

The big boost for Verstappen, and perhaps a key moment in the title race, came when Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg went off track on lap 27 of 69.

A virtual safety car came out and many drivers opted to return to the pits. Verstappen, Ocon and Gasly chose not to stop.

Five laps later, to the great disappointment of the 10,000 or so Argentinian fans present at Interlagos, Williams driver Franco Colapinto suffered a crash, leading to a red flag, just minutes after the leaders, Russell and Norris, had pitted.

Ocon, Verstappen and Gasly took the opportunity to change their tyres without losing their positions, which put Norris under even more pressure.

“It was a good time to stop,” Norris said after the race. “We just had bad luck.”