Max Verstappen from P21 to P2 in Sao Paulo: 'A very good result'

Published on 08 November 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen finished second in an eventful São Paulo Grand Prix. The race got underway on a wet track, with Max quickly making his way through the field from P21 on the grid. Thanks to some superb overtaking manoeuvres, the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver had made it into the top ten within just three laps. As the track dried out and drivers were able to switch to slicks, Max continued his charge through the field, eventually reaching second place. In the closing stages, the heavens opened once again, but this did not lead to any changes at the front. Lando Norris proved too strong in his McLaren and won the race convincingly, with Verstappen finishing second. Isack Hadjar secured a double podium for Red Bull Racing by taking third place.

After the race, Max said: "It was a challenging race. The first few laps were important, as I overtook a lot of cars, and I think the first stint on the inters was really strong. Unfortunately, we may have picked up some damage after that, because the car felt completely different compared to the rest of the weekend and the balance was very strange. Once I was in P2, I could not make any inroads, so we need to understand what went wrong there. But to start from P21 and still finish on the podium is a very good result."

As on Saturday, there was heavy rain ahead of the 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit. The ambient temperature was also rather cool, at just 15 degrees Celsius. The track was still wet at the start of the race, although the rain had stopped, meaning the entire field started on intermediate tyres. Due to grid penalties, Max started from P21 and faced the challenge of fighting his way through the field. However, there were actually nineteen drivers ahead of the Dutchman on the grid, as Valtteri Bottas was escorted into the pit lane at the last moment due to a stuck wheel nut.

Pole-sitter Norris made a poor start, allowing Kimi Antonelli to take the lead. Liam Lawson made a bold move to take second place from Norris at Turn 2. Verstappen steadily worked his way up the order from the start. After the first lap, he was already up to thirteenth, and as the third lap began, he took tenth place from Oliver Bearman. Lewis Hamilton also fell victim to Verstappen's charge on the same lap. On lap five, Max pulled off an excellent move to overtake both Oscar Piastri and Alex Albon, moving up to P7.

Lando Norris passed Liam Lawson for second place on lap six, while Isack Hadjar also overtook the New Zealander one lap later. On lap eight, Max took sixth place from Nico Hülkenberg, before passing Lawson for P5 on lap eleven.

The track continued to dry, and on lap fifteen Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz were the first to take a gamble by switching to slicks. The leaders followed over the next few laps. Russell spun on the exit of the pit lane and only just managed to get going again. Max made his pit stop on lap eighteen and rejoined the track in P4. After making his stop, Antonelli found Norris right on his tail. Over team radio, the newly crowned world champion reported that he appeared to be having problems. This became clear shortly afterwards when he spun at Turn 1, allowing Norris to take the lead. Antonelli was able to continue, but Hadjar was right behind him and took second place from the Italian one lap later.

Verstappen then set about chasing Antonelli. The Mercedes driver ran off the track again at Turn 1, allowing Verstappen to take advantage and move up to third place. Over the following laps, Max gradually closed the gap to his team-mate Hadjar. The Frenchman was asked over team radio to let Verstappen through, and he complied on lap 38, promoting Max to P2.

Max was unable to close the gap to Norris, and on lap 46 he made his second pit stop. With another set of soft tyres fitted to the RB22, Max rejoined the track in fifth place, around thirteen seconds behind Piastri in P4. On his new tyres, Verstappen immediately set the fastest lap of the race. Race leader Norris pitted two laps later, rejoining in P4 just behind his McLaren team-mate Piastri, although Piastri soon let him through. Antonelli, Hadjar and Piastri also made their second stops, allowing Norris to regain the lead, with Verstappen seven seconds behind in P2.

On lap 54, Hadjar passed Russell, who had yet to make his second pit stop, moving up to third place. In the closing stages, rain began to fall again and lap times started to increase. With just nine laps remaining, the rain became so heavy that the first drivers headed into the pits to switch to intermediate tyres. Leaders Norris and Verstappen pitted one lap later, rejoining in first and second place respectively.

Once again, Verstappen was unable to close the gap to Norris as the rain continued to intensify. Norris ultimately secured his third Grand Prix victory of the season without being seriously challenged. Verstappen crossed the line in P2, fourteen seconds behind, securing his eighth consecutive podium and strengthening his position in second place in the championship. Hadjar finished third for the third time this year, followed by the Mercedes drivers Russell and Antonelli in P4 and P5 respectively. This result secured the Constructors' Championship for Mercedes, as Ferrari could no longer catch them. Oscar Piastri finished sixth, with Charles Leclerc in P7. Liam Lawson rounded off a strong weekend with eighth place, while Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hülkenberg completed the top ten.

For the Unleash The Lion Brazil Collection and scale models of Max’ Sao Paulo GP helmet, check: https://store.verstappen.com/en/c-19544

Results Grand Prix Brazil: