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From pit lane to podium: Max Verstappen shines in the wet in Brazil
Starting in 21st place after replacing his engine before the race, Max Verstappen finished second at the Brazil GP to maintain his push for championship runner-up this season.
At a rain-hit and unpredictable Brazil GP, Max Verstappen delivered a wet-weather driving masterclass to go from 21st on the grid to a second-place finish. Having replaced his power unit before the race, Verstappen received a 30-place grid penalty and started in P21. However, winning the driver of the day award in the process, he was able to fight through the field to finish on the podium, continuing his streak of top-three finishes.
01
How Verstappen went from the back row of the grid to the podium places
Brazil has seen some of Verstappen's greatest drives
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Starting alongside Lewis Hamilton at the back of the grid, both former world champions began to work their way through the pack during the first lap. While the Dutchman made a suboptimal start, due to a "very slow reaction time off the line because I was holding the clutch wrong," as he put it, by the end of the first lap, he'd made his way from 21st to 12th.
He went round the outside of the first corner to move past Gabriel Bortoleto and to up to 20th, then got good traction out of turns three and four to overtake Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly on the following straight. He then continued the same tactic, going past two more cars on the outside in successive corners just moments later.
He then went past Charles Leclerc on the outside, before diving inside and braking late to move up into P14. After that, he used slipstream as he went over the start/finish line and a little more late braking into turn one to move up to P12.
I overtook a lot of cars, and actually that first stint on the inters was really, really strong
On the second lap, Verstappen overtook Ollie Bearman and Carlos Sainz to get into the top 10 by taking advantage of his superior grip on the outside of corners. By the start of lap five, he was up to seventh place. He overtook Oscar Piastri with a dive up the inside, but the Australian went back ahead as Verstappen struggled with grip on the exit of the corner. However, the Dutchman made the overtake stick on the next corner, at the start of lap three. He was then able to go past Alex Albon by braking late at the end of the back straight.
On lap eight, he overtook Nico Hulkenburg to move up to sixth, and took fifth when Liam Lawson let him past not long later. Then, as drivers began to pit for dry weather tires on lap 16, Verstappen moved up to second place before pitting himself.
Finally, after the pit stops and George Russell's spin in the pit lane, Isack Hadjar let his team-mate past so he could get up to second place. However, due to balance issues with his car, Verstappen was unable to chase down Lando Norris in first place, finishing 14.6s off the leader.
02
How has Brazil impacted the championship?
Verstappen has enjoyed plenty of podium time over recent races
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
After jumping from fourth place to second in the drivers standings at the Mexican GP, Verstappen increased the gap between himself and third place with his result in Brazil. He's now 17 points ahead of George Russell in third as he looks to repeat 2025's final standing by securing the runner-up spot for the second successive season.
He's now achieved 11 podium finishes in his last 13 Grands Prix. Only championship winner Kimi Antonelli has recorded more podium finishes during that period.
The Dutchman’s run of results began at Oracle Red Bull Racing’s home race in Austria. Since then, he has finished second or third eight times and claimed three victories. The other two races, The Dutch and British Grand Prix, ended in retirements.
Those two retirements have been outweighed by Verstappen’s consistency across the rest of the run, with his podium finish in Brazil the latest example.
03
Verstappen on his Brazil performance
"It was a challenging race," said Verstappen
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
In reaction to his second-place finish, Verstappen said, "Yeah, it was a challenging race. I think the first few laps were very important. I overtook a lot of cars, and actually that first stint on the inters was really, really strong. Unfortunately, after that, I don't know if we picked up some kind of damage because the car felt like the complete opposite to anything that I felt the whole weekend."
It wasn't clear what was broken on the car, but Verstappen reported significant oversteer in high-speed corners. That reduced his speed and meant he wasn't able to close the gap to Lando Norris ahead of him.
"But, I mean, starting P21 and being on the podium in second is a very good result."
He also said that experience of similar situations helped him move through the field in the early laps. "I guess also experience helps a lot over the years, even dealing with difficulties during the race or knowing when not to risk it too much," he said. He joked that he wants to "just start a bit further up front" next time, though.
04
The numbers behind Verstappen’s season are growing ever stronger
Max Verstappen celebrates a sixth Mexican GP win
© Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen now sits second in the Drivers’ Championship standings, 111 points behind championship winner Kimi Antonell.
He's recorded the second-highest number of podium finishes, with 12, behind Antonelli’s 16. George Russell is the closest driver behind Verstappen, with eight podiums.
Excluding retirements, Verstappen’s average finishing position is currently 2.94, compared with 2.73 for Antonelli.
Since the Austrian Grand Prix, and excluding retirements, Verstappen’s average finishing position has been 2.00, compared with 3.46 for Antonelli.
05
What Verstappen’s recent form means for the rest of the season
Verstappen congratulates Kimi Antonelli on his title win
© Simon Galloway/LAT Images/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen has continued to score across the recent run of races, while Oracle Red Bull Racing continue to develop their 2026 car.
Following the podium finish in Austria and a DNF at Silverstone, Verstappen finished third in Belgium. He then finished second at the eventful Hungarian GP before a DNF in his final home Dutch GP. Antonelli then won the subsequent two races, in Italy and Spain, but the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver finished third and second, respectively.
He subsequently won the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Singapore Grand Prix before another third-place finish in Austin, Texas. The win in Mexico took him to second place in the standings and now the second-place finish in Brazil has solidified that position.
06
Verstappen's aim for the remainder of the season
A major upgrade package was introduced by Oracle Red Bull Racing in Austria
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Although no driver can catch Antonelli in first place, competition is fierce for second. Just 33 points separate Verstappen in second and Lando Norris in sixth.
George Russell is just 17 points behind, Lewis Hamilton is 18 points behind in fourth, and Charles Leclerc is 28 points back in fifth.
With three races left in the season, second is the best result for Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen , and recent results are maximizing their chances of finishing second.
These are the F1 driver standings after the Brazil GP:
Position
Driver
Team
Points
1
Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
390
2
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
279
3
George Russell
Mercedes
262
4
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
261
5
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
249
6
Lando Norris
McLaren
246
7
Oscar Piastri
McLaren
152
8
Isack Hadjar
Red Bull
122
9
Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
89
10
Pierre Gasly
Alpine
42
The next race on the 2026 F1 calendar is the Las Vegas GP on Sunday, November 22, followed by two more races before the season concludes.
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