SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dealt Lando Norris a shattering blow in their Formula One title battle by winning a wet and chaotic Sao Paulo Grand Prix from 17th on the grid on Sunday while the McLaren driver plunged from pole position to sixth.
The runaway victory at Interlagos, in a crash-strewn race halted after 33 laps and re-started, lifted Verstappen 62 points clear with three rounds remaining and a fourth title within reach. It also ended a 10-race losing streak for the 27-year-old Dutch driver dating back to Spain in June.
Amid the mayhem, struggling Renault-owned Alpine took a stunning points bonanza with Esteban Ocon second and Pierre Gasly third — rocketing the team from ninth to sixth in the standings.
To add to the pain for Norris, the Briton finished under investigation for a procedural infringement at the initial aborted start.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Clare Fallon)
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