The 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix witnessed Max Verstappen ship a champion-like efficiency that put him on the cusp of a fourth consecutive System 1 world title.
Verstappen gained from seventeenth as a disastrous qualifying noticed him end twelfth, earlier than an engine change penalty dropped him 5 locations.
However the Crimson Bull driver delivered a masterclass within the moist to increase his lead over second-placed Lando Norris to 62 factors with 86 left accessible.
No person has gained a grand prix from thus far again for the reason that 2005 Japanese GP, so the place does Verstappen’s win stand within the historical past books?
twenty second – John Watson, 1983 United States Grand Prix West
John Watson, McLaren MP4-1C Ford
Picture by: Rainer W. Schlegelmilch / Motorsport Photographs
John Watson holds F1’s report for successful a grand prix from the furthest again on the grid, having began twenty second on the 1983 United States GP West.
It was the second spherical of the season and anger had already kicked off pre-qualifying as groups and drivers have been sad on the barely modified Lengthy Seaside circuit, which had bumps within the components that related the outdated and new format.
Groups have been subsequently involved about their suspensions however the issues went deeper for Watson, who struggled together with his Michelin tyres in qualifying. He wasn’t the one huge identify to undergo a poor session although, as team-mate Niki Lauda lined up one place behind.
However with a full load of gas onboard, each McLaren automobiles have been in a position to shortly generate warmth into their tyres and after Lauda overtook Watson at race begin, the pair progressed by way of the sphere in tandem as their tempo was unstoppable.
By lap 28, they have been third and fourth earlier than Watson overtook Lauda on the finish of Shoreline Drive. At this level, the Northern Irishman was 20 seconds off the entrance which noticed an exhilarating battle between chief Jacques Laffite and Riccardo Patrese.
Nevertheless, Patrese slid off as he tried an overtake, permitting the McLarens by way of earlier than Watson and Lauda shortly moved previous Laffite, who had issues together with his tyres.
So McLaren was now remarkably 1-2 and as Lauda struggled with leg cramp within the closing phases, he didn’t problem Watson who claimed a sensational victory that was the fifth and closing win of his F1 profession – which Autosport also listed as his greatest race.
nineteenth – Invoice Vukovich,1954 Indianapolis 500
Invoice Vukovich, Kurtis-Kraft
Picture by: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Although not technically categorized as a grand prix, the Indianapolis 500 was nonetheless a part of the F1 calendar from 1950 to 1960. The 1954 version noticed reigning winner Invoice Vukovich begin nineteenth having struggled in qualifying together with his now two-year-old automotive.
His stand up the order was not as fast as Watson’s in Lengthy Seaside both, as Vukovich first took the lead on lap 61 earlier than in a short time dropping it by pitting. However he labored his approach by way of the pack once more earlier than reclaiming first on lap 92 till dropping again as soon as extra by way of the pits.
But the two-time Indy 500 winner lastly took the lead for good on lap 150, earlier than setting a then-record of a 130.84mph common race pace. However Vukovich tragically died on the Indy 500 the next 12 months after a four-car collision while he was main on lap 57.
Race winner Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari F1 2000
Picture by: Motorsport Photographs
The headlines have been typically stolen by Michael Schumacher when the seven-time world champion partnered Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari, but in 2000 the Brazilian grabbed them at his team-mate’s dwelling race.
That 12 months’s German GP witnessed Barrichello undergo {an electrical} downside in qualifying leaving him 18th on the grid, however a fantastic begin and faultless technique had him preventing for victory.
The Ferrari driver climbed to tenth on lap one, throughout which Schumacher retired after a collision with Giancarlo Fisichella, earlier than gaining one other 5 positions over the next 5 excursions in his fast F1-2000.
Barrichello continued his superior tempo and started setting successive quickest laps as he ultimately caught up with Pedro de la Rosa, earlier than overtaking him for fourth on lap 12.
On the fifteenth lap, the Brazilian was into the rostrum positions after a transfer on Jarno Trulli at Hockenheim’s Jim Clark chicane earlier than turning into the primary driver to pit two excursions later.
Different drivers opted to pit in the course of the lap 25 security automotive, brought on by a monitor protestor, earlier than switching tyres once more when rain started falling on lap 35. But Barrichello stayed out, as he and Ferrari believed the rain was not sufficient to suit moist tyres regardless of it solely getting heavier.
However Barrichello held on and ultimately took the maiden victory of his F1 profession to turn into the primary Brazilian to win a grand prix since Ayrton Senna at Adelaide in 1993.
seventeenth – John Watson, 1982 Detroit Grand Prix
John Watson, Eddie Cheever, Didier Pironi
Picture by: Motorsport Photographs
It was solely a 12 months earlier than his unbelievable win in Lengthy Seaside that Watson had produced a equally spectacular comeback drive to victory in the US.
On the 1982 Detroit GP, Watson was caught out by a qualifying collision involving Chico Serra’s Fittipaldi leaving the McLaren driver seventeenth on the grid.
However that 12 months Watson, who completed third within the championship, was in high quality kind and quickly progressed by way of the sphere in Detroit earlier than taking second after an unbelievable lap 30 the place he overtook Didier Pironi, Lauda and Eddie Cheever.
By that time, Watson was 15s behind chief Keke Rosberg however he halved the deficit inside two laps and ultimately overtook as that 12 months’s world champion began to battle together with his tyres.
As Rosberg ultimately fell behind Cheever and Pironi, Watson took a cushty second and closing victory of the season.
seventeenth – Kimi Raikkonen, 2005 Japanese Grand Prix
Race winner Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren
Picture by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photographs
The final driver to win an F1 race from seventeenth earlier than Verstappen was Kimi Raikkonen on the 2005 Japanese GP.
After the early dominance of Fernando Alonso and Renault that 12 months, McLaren got here sturdy in direction of the top having gained 5 straight heading into the Japan penultimate spherical.
The run seemed doubtful although when McLaren suffered a disastrous one-shot qualifying session that solely grew to become wetter as time went on, ensuing within the British squad coming seventeenth and 18th.
In actual fact, Raikkonen and team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya weren’t the one front-runners to qualify in direction of the again, as Alonso was sixteenth with Schumacher in 14th.
However circumstances have been dry on race day at Suzuka permitting the tempo of the Renault, McLaren and Ferrari to shine by way of, by which Raikkonen overtook the 2 world champions by way of the pits.
By lap 30, the McLaren driver was fourth however 17s behind chief Fisichella with 23 excursions remaining, but shortly minimize that hole whereas climbing as much as second as Jenson Button and Mark Webber each pitted.
With Raikkonen and Fisichella each pitting once more earlier than the top of the race, the hole was 9 seconds with eight laps left, however the Renault was struggling on its tyres so the deficit solely ever decreased.
It culminated in Raikkonen taking the lead down the start-finish straight on the ultimate lap to present McLaren its sixth, consecutive victory and the Finn’s seventh of 2005 serving to him end runner-up to Alonso within the championship.
seventeenth – Max Verstappen, 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB20, 1st place, takes the chequered flag
Picture by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Photographs
The 2024 Brazilian GP is the weekend Verstappen all-but confirmed himself as a four-time world champion. Heading into the grand prix, he was very a lot on the again foot as title rival Norris led a McLaren 1-2 within the dash race whereas Verstappen crossed the road in third however was demoted to fourth resulting from a digital security automotive infringement.
His distress was compounded in qualifying, delayed till the Sunday morning resulting from heavy thunderstorms in Sao Paulo, as Verstappen solely completed twelfth. That’s as a result of he needed to abort his closing run in Q2 resulting from Lance Stroll crashing at Flip 3 which initially brought on a yellow flag that ultimately turned crimson, whereas Norris ended up on pole.
However Verstappen has a repute of excelling in moist circumstances and he delivered on that within the grand prix, by having fun with a improbable begin the place he gained seven positions throughout the opening two laps after discovering grip the place others couldn’t. The Crimson Bull driver was merely on one other stage and he shortly picked off one automotive after one other, Flip 1 being a preferred overtaking spot, to finish up sixth by lap 22.
But with tyres beginning to wear down, and a lap 28 VSC, groups had the dilemma if to pit or not. Forward of Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris and chief George Russell all got here in for a contemporary set, however that proved to be the improper choice as Franco Colapinto’s crash on lap 32 brought on a crimson flag.
This meant the brand new chief Esteban Ocon, Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, who accomplished the highest three, might all swap tyres with no price as they fitted new intermediates for the restart. Ocon saved his lead, however then Carlos Sainz’s crash on lap 40 brought on a security automotive interval by which Verstappen instantly overtook the Alpine driver on the restart to ultimately take his eighth victory of 2024.
