São Paulo, November 8: Lando Norris won a rain-hit Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, while Max Verstappen came through from 21st on the grid to finish second and Isack Hadjar made it a double podium for Red Bull. Nico Hulkenberg scored a point for Audi after a late overtake.
Verstappen’s recovery drive
Verstappen made up 19 places on a day of changing conditions. He said the car had plenty of pace in the first stint on intermediates, with several overtakes, but became difficult to drive on slicks because of oversteer, before improving again when he returned to intermediates.
“Starting P21 and making our way up to P2 was a crazy result,” Verstappen said. “Racing in the wet always gives you more opportunities, and that certainly helped us today.”
Hadjar started fifth and finished third, his third podium of the season. He praised the pit crew and said he enjoyed the late battle with Kimi Antonelli. “I’ve never faced so many challenges in a single race, but we handled them really well as a Team,” he said.
Red Bull said it was Verstappen’s third successive podium in Brazil from 17th or lower on the grid. The team’s chief executive and team principal said the balance changed significantly once Verstappen was switched to dry tyres, and that Norris “ultimately had a little more pace”.
Hulkenberg fights back for tenth
Hulkenberg, who started fourth, finished tenth for Audi. A 10-second penalty for overtaking Franco Colapinto off the track appeared to end his chances of a point, but when rain returned a strong pit stop put him close to Arvid Lindblad and he passed the Racing Bulls driver for the final points position.
“I made a nice move on Lindblad right at the end, managed to set him up on the entry to get a better exit, and used the undercut to gain the position,” Hulkenberg said. Audi Racing Director Allan McNish called it “a real demonstration of the fighting spirit across the whole team”.
Team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto started 19th at his home race and finished 16th after contact with Cadillac’s Sergio Perez early on. The result takes Audi to 28 points, three behind seventh-placed Haas in the Constructors’ Championship.
What next
Formula One returns in two weeks with the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Read how Hulkenberg qualified for Audi in the wet, and catch up on more Formula One news on Indian Sports News.
