Esteban Ocon sat at the front of the pack Sunday, waiting for the right moment to floor it in his Alpine.
Carlos Sainz had just crashed into the barriers at the Interlagos circuit, triggering a safety car period that lasted a few laps just over halfway through the stop-and-go São Paulo Grand Prix. But as the safety car peeled in and Ocon barreled down the start/finish straight, Max Verstappen came alongside the Alpine driver heading into Turn 1. As his RB20 pulled ahead and Verstappen took the lead, a flash of papaya orange a few cars back slid outside of the track limits.
It was Lando Norris, the race’s pole sitter and the Red Bull driver’s championship rival. Only now it seems that Turn 1 at Autódromo José Carlos Pace wasn’t just a turning point of the race; it’s a visual representation of where the championship battle split.
With another victory to his name, Verstappen looks set to wrap up a fourth world championship as soon as the Las Vegas Grand Prix. And for Norris, it’ll be a year to review, finding ways to tidy up as a driver and a team for next season. The São Paulo Grand Prix saw Norris and McLaren take a gamble and ultimately lose out to a timely red flag that ultimately shaped the race. Sometimes, it comes down to a bit of luck and the right package.
“It was a tough day,” Norris said to Sky Sports F1. “I did my best. I’ve had a lot of good races. It was about time that something didn’t go right.”
Bir yanıt bırakın