"Hamilton Praises Verstappen's Stunning Brazil GP Victory

“Hamilton Praises Verstappen’s Stunning Brazil GP Victory After Challenging Race”

Lewis Hamilton congratulated Max Verstappen on his remarkable Brazilian Grand Prix win with a simple three-word message, praising the Red Bull driver’s dominant performance. Despite Hamilton’s own struggles at the race, finishing 10th, he acknowledged Verstappen’s brilliance, posting “Amazing drive, congrats” on Verstappen’s Instagram. The Dutchman graciously responded, “Thank you, man. Appreciate it.”

Verstappen’s win at Interlagos marked his first victory in 11 races since his triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix in June. His performance in Brazil was particularly impressive, given the difficult conditions and his poor starting position. After being eliminated in Q2 during a rain-affected qualifying session, Verstappen had to contend with a late red flag caused by Lance Stroll’s crash at Turn 3. The incident, coupled with a five-place grid penalty, relegated Verstappen to 17th on the starting grid, far from his usual front-row position. Lando Norris started from pole position, and many expected the race to be a challenge for Verstappen.

Despite these obstacles, Verstappen produced one of the standout performances of the season, particularly in wet-weather conditions, as he carved his way through the field. His drive was aided by the timely intervention of another red flag during the race caused by Franco Colapinto’s crash. This allowed Verstappen to make a strategic pit stop and emerge in second place. He quickly overtook Esteban Ocon after the race restart, pulling away from the Alpine driver to finish the race a staggering 19.477 seconds ahead.

Verstappen’s masterful drive earned widespread applause from his rivals and the broader F1 community. Along with Hamilton’s praise, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso also lauded Verstappen for his “fantastic drive.” Nico Hulkenberg shared goat emojis in reference to Verstappen’s status as one of the greatest in the sport, while even Damon Hill, one of Verstappen’s frequent critics, had positive words for the Red Bull driver.

This victory was critical for Verstappen as he edges closer to another world title. With the win, he extended his lead over Lando Norris in the championship standings to 62 points, with only 85 points left in play across the final three races. Reflecting on his long-awaited victory, Verstappen admitted it had been a challenging stretch for the Red Bull team.

“Of course, that was important,” Verstappen said in the post-race FIA press conference. “I wanted to win a bit sooner. But yeah, it’s been tough for us. We always kept pushing. We didn’t really understand why the others were so fast in the race, especially. I’ve been trying a lot of things to improve the car.”

He added that starting from 17th, he did not expect to win the race. Nevertheless, the result was a massive morale boost for the team, especially after the difficult period they had faced in recent races. Verstappen credited his team’s calm approach to adversity and their focus on improving the car’s performance as key factors behind the victory.

Looking ahead to the final races of the season, Verstappen expressed confidence in the team’s ability to continue fighting for wins, particularly with their strong race pace. “I’m confident for the last three races that we can fight again, and especially in the race, we will be more competitive,” he said.