Written by Vyas Ponnuri
Max Verstappen has won 62 Grands-Prix and taken three world championships in a decorated Formula One career. Yet, his drive from 17th on the grid to win at São Paulo on Sunday might just have been his most cherished achievement, not just in Formula One, but his racing career so far.
The pressure stemming from missing out on a top ten start, Verstappen's subsequent anger when he 'wanted to destroy the Red Bull garage' after missing out on Q3, the acrimony surrounding various decisions involving the Dutchman.... you could almost liken the scenario to a cork in the bottle.
Something had to give. You could sense the palpitation, the foreshadowing of a special performance from Verstappen, who was set to start from the dizzying low of 17th on the grid. It may certainly seem dizzying, considering only five races had been won from 17th or lower.
While his championship rival Norris started from pole, the Red Bull driver would've ideally been looking to limit the damage to his rival ahead, much like he'd done ever since Formula One returned from its month-long summer break in August.
However, such was Verstappen's ferocity and sheer prowess in rain-affected races, he eventually went on to win the race itself, silencing many who had wondered if he should alter his driving style, as some may have hinted earlier this weekend.
Perhaps they would have been forced to back their words on Sunday. If his driving style was one to draw comparisons to famous races from the past, it certainly wouldn't be worth doubting.
Red Bull team principal drew comparisons between Verstappen's first lap, when he moved up to 11th, and Ayrton Senna's famous 'Lap of the Gods' at Donington Park in 1993, when the Brazilian maestro surged past as many as four competitors to take the lead at the end of lap one.
If this seemed a far-fetched comparison, a more contemporary mention would be the drive Verstappen himself put in around Interlagos in 2016, when he went from 16th to third in a span of 15 laps, in a race when he also famously experienced a heart-stopping sideways moment too. It was almost a full circle moment eight years later — and more, for good measure.
On that day, teenage Verstappen displayed his wet weather racing skills to the paddock for the first time, in what was arguably his breakthrough race. On Sunday, it was another race that defined his career — rising above adversity and the circumstances to eventually take home the top honours.
On both counts, Verstappen's driving and clinical overtaking took the spotlight. If it was his fearless dance around the outside of turn three on Nico Rosberg that stood out eight years ago, it was his bravery on the brakes to move past race leader Esteban Ocon on Sunday that was the pick of the lot.
If it was a late-race overtaking montage and his judgement as a youngster, it was his braking prowess into turn one and mastery of the conditions that defined his race on Sunday. Multiple world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were only left to watch as the Dutchman powered past, while Norris's teammate Oscar Piastri had no answer to Verstappen's lunge on lap 10.
Another move on Liam Lawson saw Verstappen move into sixth on the road, only 10 laps into a 69-lap race. A stunning overtaking montage from 17th on the grid, effectively 14th after drivers ahead did not start, or opted to start from the pit lane.
While the teenage Verstappen may have been itching to risk a late lunge on Leclerc's Ferrari ahead, the wiser, mature version of Verstappen in 2024 opted to stay behind the Ferrari. He was also advised by his race engineer GP to stay patient and be decisive with his moves. Even one unsuccessful move would have major consequences, and could possibly hurt his bid for a fourth world championship.
Leclerc's mid-race pit stop for new intermediate tyres, and a virtual safety car period for Nico Hulkenberg's off at turn one undoubtedly calmed things down, it was the race-changing red flag on lap 32 that proved Verstappen a golden opportunity to do the unthinkable.
While he used the opportunity to swap for newer intermediate tyres, and had no answer to the Alpine of Esteban Ocon in the lead after the restart, Verstappen made sure he put this battle to bed next time around, with that confident dive down the inside of the Frenchman at turn one.
The scenes that unfolded at turn one on lap 43 were almost poetic in the context of the championship. When Verstappen surged ahead into the lead with a clinical move, Norris, running fourth at the time, faced pressure from his rivals behind and skated off the road, losing valuable ground.
It truly pictured how the championship battle had panned out for both drivers. While one always found a way out even in the bleakest of times, the other found himself struggling to break free from his competitors, and often crumbling under pressure.
Fastest lap after fastest lap, it was a typical wet weather drive from the Dutchman, reminiscent of his championship-deciding drive at Japan two years ago. Fastest lap was only the icing on the cake, as he absolutely put a full-stop on Norris's slim championship hopes with arguably the drive of his career.
While the first half of the race consisted of an overtaking highlight reel, the second half was all class, as Verstappen demonstrated his usual, alien-like car control, dancing the RB20 around Interlagos' white lines to open up a 20-second lead by the end of the race.
They say it's a race of two halves, but it almost seemed as though both halves were perfectly symmetrical to each other. It was Verstappen's day, and nobody could stop him on his way to victory.
A first win in 133 days certainly released all the pent-up emotions and any pressure created by Norris continuing to eat into his championship lead.
While some may claim his victory may have been with a bit of luck along the way, it's the rub of the green that truly goes into a career-defining drive.
Verstappen has started 206 Formula One Grands-Prix, and won 62 of them. Yet, if he were to look back in the future at one standout victory, it would be on this rainy day at Interlagos in 2024.
It was almost as if the Red Bull racer channelled up all his energy from the fracas around him in the run up to the race, and let out all his bottled-up emotions with a legendary drive for the ages, a championship-defining one, and one for Formula One's glorious history books.