I don’t claim to be a lifelong Formula One fan; I only started watching this season, though I have seen all six seasons of “ Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and countless YouTube videos on Ayrton Senna. I never saw Lewis Hamilton claim any of his seven world titles, and I think I was playing video games during the infamous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021.
Still, I know brilliance when I see it. And, on Sunday, brilliance was on full display.
Allow me to set the stage: It’s a rainy morning in Brazil, and we are about to embark on the 21st race of the 2024 Formula One campaign. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris has been reduced to 47 points — the slimmest margin since the Japanese Grand Prix more than six months and 17 races ago. While Verstappen lined up in 17th place due to a penalty and a crash in qualifying, Norris found himself in pole position, a prime spot to claim a fourth Grand Prix victory, 25 points and make his rival sweat more than ever before. But of course, Verstappen had other ideas.
From the first lap, it was clear that the reigning champion would not be denied. Verstappen surged from 17th to 11th place after one lap, and soon after, an impressive move past Liam Lawson on the inside of the famous “Senna S” saw him take sixth. Most drivers can’t make up that many places in an entire race, but Verstappen was just getting started.
After making the call to stay out as the rain began to pour, Verstappen benefited when rookie Franco Colapinto crashed, prompting a red flag. This allowed Verstappen fresh tires while maintaining second place. Upon the restart, all he had to do was breeze past the less experienced and worse-equipped Alpine driver Esteban Ocon, and the rest was history.
It was a spellbinding display of not only driving ability, but also mental fortitude. It takes confidence to stay out on old tires when any miniscule error means the end of your race, and most drivers wouldn’t risk it. In a sport where only the 20 most talented drivers — though realistically 19, as one owes his seat to his father’s team ownership — earn the privilege of racing each week, Verstappen proved on Sunday that he is cut from a different cloth.
But why does any of this matter? We see incredible feats daily across the sporting world.
My argument is that this drive was not just a singular incredible feat, but the moment where a great driver cemented himself as a true legend. I don’t say that lightly; Max has had as many Herculean displays of motor skill as almost anyone. And still, this race surpasses any of them.
Unlike his prior championship seasons, Verstappen’s car has not been the fastest for most of the campaign. Even this past weekend in Brazil, his Red Bull was once again outpaced by competitors McLaren and Ferrari in nearly every session. Yet, he somehow found a way. Like Michael Schumacher’s comeback in Spain in 1996, or Lewis Hamilton’s last-to-first win in Brazil just three years ago, Verstappen made an impossible task possible.
Then, after the race, he made sure everyone knew just how special his performance was. From a pointed remark seemingly aimed at Norris over the radio on the final lap to calling out biased British media during the post-race press conference, Verstappen sent a clear message: Despite a challenging season, he is still Formula One’s man to beat. And given that once-in-a-lifetime showing, all we can do is tip our caps and agree.
