Many things were going against Max Verstappen, three-time World Champion (now four-time champion as of a race in Las Vegas in December of 2024) and driver for Oracle Red Bull Racing, during the Formula 1 race on November 3rd, in São Paulo, Brazil. During Qualifying, he had to abort his final lap in the second round due to a driver crashing, causing him to qualify in P12. But he also had a 5-place grid penalty because of engine changes, so he started in the 17th position. It seemed that winning was out of the realm of possibilities.

The weather in Sao Paulo was wet. If you know anything about driving, you know it’s difficult to drive in the rain, and that’s even more true when racing at high speeds in Formula 1. The race directors had to move Qualifying, usually Saturday afternoon, to Sunday morning. It still ended up raining, and there were a total of 5 red flags from cars crashing that morning, meaning the drivers had to go back to the pitlane and wait until the track was cleaned up of debris. The Grand Prix only had one red flag, but the rain never went away. Some of the drivers, including Max, described it as like driving a jet ski or a boat around the track. 

Back to Max. Everything was against him on Sunday during the Grand Prix. He qualified poorly, while his championship rival was starting on the front row. He needed to overtake 14 cars if he wanted to win, which isn’t an easy feat, particularly in the rain. But this isn’t the first time Max has been far back in a race, in the rain, and at this track. During the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, Max, in his rookie season, made up 11 places in 16 laps while driving in the wet. He ended up on the podium during that race. It has been considered a masterclass, and one of the greatest drives of his career. One of the rookies said he was watching replays from Max’s drive in 2016 to hopefully help during his own race.

Within the first lap of this year’s race, Max was up into P8, gaining 6 positions just in the first few corners. He continued to overtake cars with ease and get closer to the front. There ended up being a red flag when Max was in P2, giving him the chance to change his tires, and therefore not need to make a pitstop for the rest of the race. He didn’t gain position during the initial restart, but there was a Safety Car from another driver going off track. During that restart, Max got into P1, and by the end of the race, he had extended his lead by about 19 seconds. Once he was at the front, no one could get close to him. 

The greatest part about Max’s drive in Sao Paulo was that he made zero mistakes. He was overtaking one car after the other, never pushed anyone off track, and did it all in the rain. The team strategy worked well, and he had a bit of luck with the safety car and the red flag, but he still managed to pick off every driver in front of him with few problems. That’s what makes this drive the most incredible one he’s had. During his masterclass drive in 2016, Max spun out once, nearly crashing. He was able to control the car, but 8 years later, Max didn’t spin or slide off the track even a little. You could see by watching him drive he was confident and proud of himself. He may have been the only one who believed he could win this race, but he’s the only one he needed to believe and then execute one incredible drive. 

What a comeback. 10 races since his last Grand Prix win, and he’s done it. The Dutch National Anthem rings in our ears again. We used to loathe it being constantly played every race weekend, but it was nice to hear the song and Max smiling. He has never been one to give up or let someone else take his place as the best. Despite how it had seemed, Max had never given up. He’s had some tough races, bad luck, and not the best car on track like he has in the past. But Max’s consistency and determination to win has helped him become a Driver’s Championship winner in the past. This season is not over, but Max’s driving from this past weekend may have been the deciding factor to help him win his fourth consecutive championship. His grit and constant belief in his abilities make him stand out as one of the greatest drivers of our time. The great Brazilian driver, Ayrton Senna, once said, “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” At Senna’s home track, Max Verstappen went for many gaps, prevailed, and put on a masterclass the late Brazilian would’ve been proud of. As Max says, it was a “simply lovely” drive, and an even better comeback.