Chaos and crashes at wet F1 Brazilian Grand Prix - as Max Verstappen claims victory from 17th
Heavy rain in Sao Paulo saw several drivers lose control of their cars - with some of them involved in several accidents within hours.
Sunday 3 November 2024 18:16, UK
Treacherous wet conditions led to chaos and several crashes during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix - with the F1 race cut short and temporarily halted due to further smashes after a delayed start.
Heavy rain in Sao Paulo saw Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto all crash during qualifying.
There was further confusion and drama later on the grid when the start of the F1 race was aborted when Stroll crashed - for the second time in hours - during the formation lap at Interlagos.
Officials confirmed the grand prix would run to 69 laps following the aborted start and two formation laps - and 31 laps in, the race was stopped and restarted after a massive crash which saw Colapinto lose control of his car again.
Triple world champion Max Verstappen, who had not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, ended that winless streak by winning Sunday's rain-soaked race after starting in 17th on the grid.
Having earlier vented his frustration following a nightmare qualifying session, he worked his way up the grid. And with the help of a fortuitously timed safety car, the Dutchman claimed victory.
"My emotions today have been a rollercoaster with qualifying being really unlucky with the red flag," he said after the race.
"Starting in P17 I knew it would be a very tough race.
"We stayed out of trouble, made the right calls, we stayed calm and we were flying. All of these things together. I mean unbelievable. To win here from so far back on the grid... yeah."
Each of the three phases of qualifying on Sunday morning was interrupted by at least one crash. This resulted in five red flags - which are used to stop a practice session, qualifying session or race due to a serious accident or extreme weather.
The flags infuriated drivers who were forced to reduce their speeds and proceed back to the pit lane - impacting their standings.
The session had already been postponed until Sunday after rain and lightning made conditions unsafe on Saturday.
Sunday's delayed qualifying finished with McLaren's Lando Norris in pole position - with title rival Verstappen failing to make it to the third phase of qualifying.
The Red Bull driver had been on course to improve his time in the wet conditions, but Stroll's crash resulted in the third of five red flags - and the second phase of qualifying was halted with 46 seconds remaining.
"The car hits the wall, and it needs to be a straight red," Verstappen said.
"I don't understand why it needs to take 30 to 40 seconds for a red flag to come out. It's just bullshit. It's so stupid anyway to talk about. It's ridiculous."
It left a furious Verstappen in 12th place after qualifying ended - and with the Dutchman serving a five-place engine penalty for changing part of his car, it left him way down the order for the start.
It had handed the advantage to Norris. The 24-year-old British driver held his nerve in the treacherous conditions to put his McLaren at the front of the grid for today's race, but he finished in 6th place.
He is also under investigation for a potential starting procedure infringement after pulling away despite there being no green lights when the start was aborted.
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Colapinto was the first to crash during qualifying after skidding into the barriers at the third corner. The Argentine emerged unscathed, but he was unable to continue in qualifying.
A second delay came after Sainz, who won in Mexico City a week ago, also ended up in the wall after he lost control of his Ferrari. Stroll's crash led to a third suspension.
Alonso was the fourth driver to hit the wall when he spun out, before Albon's late smash at the opening corner in phase three of the qualifying session, which forced him out of the race due to the damage sustained to his car.
Lewis Hamilton is considered one of the sport's best-ever wet-weather drivers, but the seven-time world champion suffered a first-phase exit, but rallied during the race to finish 10th.
The 39-year-old, who is in his final season with Mercedes before he heads to Ferrari, called his machine "undriveable".