Caryss Green, 25
After 10 races without standing on the top step of the podium, Max Verstappen finally took first at the São Paulo Grand Prix. After qualifying 12, Verstappen added on a 5-place grid penalty for using an additional power unit, meaning he started the race on the second-to-last row. With the combination of great driving and amazing strategy calls from his team, Verstappen claimed his eighth victory of the 2024 season, and Red Bull began closing the gap to Ferrari in second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
After 10 races without standing on the top step of the podium, Max Verstappen finally took first at the São Paulo Grand Prix. After qualifying 12, Verstappen added on a 5-place grid penalty for using an additional power unit, meaning he started the race on the second-to-last row. With the combination of great driving and amazing strategy calls from his team, Verstappen claimed his eighth victory of the 2024 season, and Red Bull began closing the gap to Ferrari in second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
The race in Brazil wasn’t just exciting for Verstappen. The Alpine F1 Team's drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, started the race in 4th and 13th respectively, but both ended the race on the podium. Ocon placed second, and Gasly placed third in the team's first double podium since Renault returned to the sport in 2017. This stellar finish saw the team jump 3 places in the Constructors’ Championship all the way up to 6th.
The Brazil GP brought joy and triumph for Verstappen and Alpine, but other teams did not share in this fortune. Lance Stroll in particular had a tough weekend. Stroll didn’t even get the chance to start the race on Sunday after he crashed on the formation lap. After his crash, Stroll stated, “As soon as I touched the brake I just had a huge rear lock up, and then I was a passenger from there. I’ve never felt that in the car, so maybe there was a brake failure problem.”
The other victims of the 2024 Brazil GP include both Williams drivers: Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari. Albon had a horrible first-lap crash, and then Hulkenburg went off, but he received assistance from track marshalls to get his car back on the track so he was disqualified. Colapinto had a tough crash on lap 30, causing the race to be red-flagged. But the chaos wasn’t over yet. After the race resumed, Sainz crashed on lap 38, making him the 5th and final driver to end their weekend early.
Packed full of exhilarating highs and devastating lows, the Brazil GP perfectly encapsulates the chaos that the 2024 season has been. This chaos is sure to continue in Vegas, where Verstappen could secure his 4th consecutive Drivers’ Championship title, or Norris could close the gap to Verstappen, bringing him one step closer to his 1st title.