November 14, (THEWILL) – With a remarkable performance in Sao Paulo, Sir Lewis Hamilton kept his title aspirations alive by defeating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to claim the lead position.
Starting tenth on the grid, Hamilton overtook Verstappen 12 laps from the finish to claim an incredibly crucial and well-deserved victory. Verstappen finished second, cutting his overall lead to 13 points, with Valtteri Bottas rounding off the podium in third.
With three races left, one of the finest title battles in recent memory appears to be on the verge of going down to the wire.
Hamilton received a five-place grid penalty after bringing a new engine to Brazil, as well as a further penalty for a DRS violation in qualifying.
After Valtteri Bottas surrendered his lead in the first minute of the race, the lead Mercedes driver stormed from tenth to third in ten circuits, with only two Red Bull drivers ahead of him.
Hamilton faced his first major test as Red Bull’s Sergio Perez passed him on the Sienna straight, setting up a 52-lap battle between the defending world champion and overall leader Verstappen.
Hamilton’s chances of winning would have been slim if Verstappen had won, but the 36-year-old was relentless in his pursuit of his title rival.
After activating DRS on the straight, Hamilton appeared to have the upper hand on Verstappen, but the Dutchman was stronger in the bends and clung to his place with tenacity.
However, the Brit had the faster car and pushed Verstappen to protect himself on the inside of turn one with 11 laps to go before passing on the outside of turn four to the delight of the Brazilian audience.
Hamilton then cruised to win, with Verstappen unable to match his speed keeping the Brit in contention for an eighth title and making the end of the season ever more impossible to predict.
The Mercedes lead driver was full of praise for both his team and the crowd in Brazil following his victory. In his post-race comments, Hamilton said: “I’m so grateful for the incredible support I’ve had this weekend. I haven’t had as much support as this since Silverstone.
“What a race. The team did a great job, Valtteri (Bottas) did a great job. With the penalties, it’s the hardest race weekend I’ve had.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
