Formula 1: Max Verstappen wins chaotic 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won a chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix to secure his career-high third victory of the 2019 Formula 1 season at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won the penultimate race of the 21-race 2019 Formula 1 season, the Brazilian Grand Prix, from the pole position at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, and he led the majority of the race en route to securing his third victory of the year, the eighth victory of his career and the first victory from pole of his career.

But it was far from a straight-forward race for the 22-year-old Dutchman or for anybody else in the 20-car field.

It was a battle between Verstappen and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport’s Lewis Hamilton throughout much of the 71-lap race around the 15-turn, 2.677-mile (4.308-kilometer) Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace road course in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with Hamilton pitting before Verstappen and utilizing the undercut, as well as a block in the pits by ROKiT William Racing’s Robert Kubica, to take the lead after their first pit stops.

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But Verstappen was not held back for long, as he quickly retook the position from Hamilton and went on to hold this gap after the two drivers made their second pit stops later in the race.

That’s when things took a turn for the…chaotic.

An engine issue for Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas forced him to retire, bringing out the safety car period. Hamilton was told to do what Verstappen didn’t do. Verstappen gave up the lead by coming into the pits for new tires, so Hamilton stayed out.

The drivers one lap off the lead lap, including sixth place Pierre Gasly of Scuderia Toro Rosso, were allowed to pass the safety car to get their lap back.

When the safety car period ended, Verstappen made quick work of Hamilton to retake the lead. Red Bull Racing Alexander Albon made his way up to third ahead of Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc passed Vettel for fourth place, and Vettel proceeded to fight back. Upon doing so, he shoved his car into Leclerc’s, which knocked both drivers out of the race and brought out another safety car.

This time, Verstappen did not pit from the lead while Hamilton did come into the pits, moving Albon to second place and Gasly up to third. Hamilton dropped to fourth.

With two laps remaining, the safety car period ended. Verstappen pulled away, and Hamilton made quick work of Gasly for third place. Then he ran into Albon, spinning him out and allowing Gasly to move up to second.

Gasly held off Hamilton by a mere 0.062 seconds for a career-high second place while Verstappen finished 6.077 seconds up the road to secure the victory, the victory he should have had at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace last year but lost when he and lapped driver Esteban Ocon of Racing Point made contract.

Hamilton remains under investigation for the incident with Albon. A five-second penalty would drop him to seventh place.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr., who started in 20th (last) place after not making a qualifying effort with engine issues, finished in fourth. Alfa Romeo Racing teammates Kimi Raikkonen and rookie Antonio Giovinazzi finished in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, who fell to last after making contact with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen early in the race and was then issued a five-second time penalty for it, rallied to finish in seventh place ahead of McLaren rookie Lando Norris in eighth, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez in ninth and Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat in 10th.

The race featured six lead changes among three leaders. Verstappen led 58 laps while Vettel led eight and Hamilton led five.

Here are the full race results of the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.

Race Results
1st – Max Verstappen
2nd – Pierre Gasly
3rd – Lewis Hamilton
4th – Carlos Sainz Jr.
5th – Kimi Raikkonen
6th – Antonio Giovinazzi
7th – Daniel Ricciardo
8th – Lando Norris
9th – Sergio Perez
10th – Daniil Kvyat
11th – Kevin Magnussen
12th – George Russell
13th – Romain Grosjean
14th – Alexander Albon
15th – Nico Hulkenberg
16th – Robert Kubica
17th – Sebastian Vettel
18th – Charles Leclerc
19th – Lance Stroll
20th – Valtteri Bottas

The 2019 Formula 1 season is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, December 1 with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. ESPN2 is set to broadcast this race live from Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates beginning at 8:05 a.m. ET.