Baku, November 4, AZERTAC

Max Verstappen delivered one of the all-time great wet weather drives in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, going from P17 on the grid to take victory for the first time since June – and extending his lead in the title race over Lando Norris, according to the Formula 1 official website.

Verstappen had been left frustrated after Sunday morning’s delayed qualifying session, when a crash for Lance Stroll and subsequent red flag saw him drop out of Q2 along with team mate Sergio Perez – with Verstappen starting a penalised P17 after a five-place grid drop for fitting a new internal combustion engine.

But a determined Verstappen then overcame a tumultuous and rain-affected Sao Paulo Grand Prix, climbing to P11 on the very first lap before making his way all the way up to P2 behind Alpine's Esteban Ocon when the race was red-flagged on Lap 32 of 69 after Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams – Verstappen then handed a free first pit stop by the stoppage.

Although Ocon then nailed the rolling restart when racing resumed, Verstappen would then pass him for the lead immediately on a subsequent Lap 43 restart following a Safety Car intervention for Carlos Sainz’s retirement – the Dutch driver going on to open a 19.477s gap over the French driver in the remaining 26 laps after a wet weather performance for the ages.

It meant Verstappen scored his first victory since the Spanish Grand Prix in June – while with title rival and pole-sitter Lando Norris finishing down in P6, Verstappen extended his championship lead to 62 points, meaning he could clinch the title at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Red Bull, meanwhile, scored 32 points from the Sprint weekend – 31 of them earned by Verstappen, after Perez failed to score in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix – to rivals McLaren’s 27 and Ferrari’s 20, meaning the third-placed team closed the gap in the constructors’ standings.