Verstappen exposed Norris flaws with drive of his life

The scene was set under the dark skies of the Interlagos Circut in Sao Paulo. Lando Norris was on pole; Max Verstappen was 16 places behind.

- KIERAN JACKSON

With 44 points between the championship contenders, this was the day McLaren had been waiting for. This was the day of the much-needed points swing in the drivers’ championship. This was the day Norris’s challenge launched into reality.

But what you need to know about the highly-charged, fired-up version of Verstappen is that – with his back against the wall at the back of the grid – he thrives in such circumstances. A figure of immense anger in the morning after some misfortune in qualifying, following a 20-second penalty a week earlier in Mexico, he had a point to prove. To his rivals. To the “British press”. But perhaps most of all, to himself.

Without a victory since June, the Dutchman had been inching his way to the championship, unable to challenge the speed of McLaren and Ferrari. But treacherous wet conditions on Sunday levelled the playing field – who would rise to the occasion amid the mayhem of Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix? From a position of such weakness, Verstappen emerged with his greatest triumph.

There was, indeed, a major swing. Eighteen points in fact. But to Norris’s despair, it was a swing in the wrong direction. The British driver’s inaugural title dream lies in tatters and Verstappen is now on the cusp of four titles on the spin. With an advantage of 62 points with three races to go, Verstappen can hit the jackpot in Las Vegas in three weeks if he finishes above Norris under the lights of Sin City. It’s now as simple as that.