One Max Verstappen stat proved his rivals had ‘no chance’ of beating him during Sao Paulo Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen put in a masterclass performance to win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th place on the grid.

The Red Bull driver had to fight back after being caught out by the unfortunate timing of a Red Flag in qualifying which forced him to drop out in Q2 after setting the 12th quickest time, then had to take a five-place grid penalty for a power unit change.

Verstappen made swift work in the opening stages of the race by passing six cars on the opening lap, three of which were at the second part of the Senna ‘S’ section after taking the outside line.

Red Bull then elected to keep him out as the rain got heavier midway through the race while others, including title rival Lando Norris and race leader George Russell pitted.

Verstappen inherited second place behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and was given another ace card when the race was red-flagged due to a crash from Franco Colapinto, which enabled him to swap tyres without losing time in the pits.

Verstappen took the lead from Ocon after two separate restarts and sailed into the distance, winning the race by 19 seconds at the chequered flag. A look at the data from the final laps showed how Verstappen dominated in the last 10 laps.

Max Verstappen masterclass in final 10 laps seals Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory

The final laps of the race proved to be crucial for Verstappen in sealing his victory, as he gradually built up a gap from Ocon.

Karun Chandhok remarked after the race that it reminded him of Ayrton Senna’s drive at Donington in 1993, when the Brazilian lapped the entire field in sodden conditions.

A look at the lap times from 10 of the final 11 laps of the race shows that each would have been good enough for the fastest lap of the race.

His fastest lap of 1:20.427s was over a second quicker than the next-best driver, Norris, who clocked the fastest lap of 1:21.517s.

Max Verstappen final stint ‘the one that won it’ says Alex Brundle

The final stint from Verstappen was remarkable considering the conditions were worsening in the final half hour of the race, with light drizzle getting progressively heavier after a brief break in the rain.

Alex Brundle believes title rival Norris was caught out by the timings of the Safety Car and red flag earlier in the race, but adds that ‘nobody’ was catching Verstappen with his pace.

“Feel for Lando, lost out badly in track position by the exact FCY timings, the pitstop fell wrong. The red flag tyre rule compounded it,” said Brundle.

“But – there was no chance anyone was staying with Verstappen in the final stint. A ‘that’s the one that won it’ – Championship drive for MV”

Verstappen increases his title lead to 62 points from Norris heading into the final three races of the season, while McLaren retains their lead in the Constructors’ Championship.