Max Verstappen nearly 'destroyed garage' in rage at Brazilian GP

Max Verstappen confessed his desire to "destroy the Red Bull garage" in the tense moments before he delivered a legendary wet-weather performance, clinching victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix and effectively ending Lando Norris' championship aspirations.

Norris seemed poised to significantly dent Verstappen's 44-point lead in the title race after securing pole position in Interlagos. Meanwhile, Verstappen was knocked out in the second phase of qualifying due to a red flag following Lance Stroll's crash.

Verstappen's unexpected Q2 departure left him in 12th place, and an additional five-place grid penalty for an engine change relegated him to 17th on the grid.

However, an extraordinary comeback marked by five consecutive fastest laps and a total of 17 saw him overtake Alpine's Esteban Ocon for the lead on lap 43 of 69, eventually crossing the finish line a staggering 19.4 seconds ahead. This marked the 62nd, and arguably most impressive, victory of Verstappen's illustrious career.

For Norris, it was a race best forgotten. After veering off the track twice, he finished in a disappointing sixth place.

Now trailing Verstappen by 62 points with only 86 points remaining, the Englishman's chances of securing his fourth consecutive world title are slim. The next opportunity will be in Las Vegas on November 23.

"My emotions were all over the place, from wanting to destroy the garage (after qualifying) to winning the race," Verstappen admitted. "It has been a rollercoaster.

"It is unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid. I was expecting to lose points in the championship. Now, I just want clean races. But I am not thinking about clinching the title in Vegas."

During an electrifying start, Verstappen catapulted himself up to 11th by the end of the first lap, having overtaken three rivals with a dazzling move at the opening corner. He continued his charge by swiftly outmanoeuvring Lewis Hamilton into the first bend during the following lap, clinching the 10th position.

In a display of relentless pursuit, Verstappen soared to eighth place on lap five by deftly surpassing Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso, followed by an effortless move pass Oscar Piastri in Norris' McLaren for seventh spot.

Liam Lawson was soon added to Verstappen's tally of surpassed drivers, and when granted some breathing space, he started churning out laps that were a full second faster than anyone elses on the track. While Charles Leclerc initially curbed Verstappen's progression, his pit stop for new tyres at lap 24 prompted Max to ascend to fifth.

As the rain grew heavier, Nico Hulkenberg's spin triggered a Virtual Safety Car period. George Russell and Norris, who had previously yielded his lead to Russell at the initial turn, both pitted for fresh intermediate tyres on lap 28.

During this shuffle, Esteban Ocon took the front of the pack with Verstappen in hot pursuit.

Soon after, Franco Colapinto's crash against the barriers led race director Niels Wittich to call a halt to the proceedings. The red flag played to Verstappen's advantage, offering him a chance to swap tyres without cost.

Following a 25-minute interlude and a rolling restart, Ocon endeavoured to keep his first position, but Norris skidded off track at the third corner and fell back to fifth.

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari crashed into the barriers at turn eight on lap 40, prompting a second safety car intervention. The race got back underway on lap 43, with Verstappen overtaking Ocon at the first corner to seize the lead.

Meanwhile, Norris veered off the track once more, dropping behind Leclerc and Piastri to seventh place, potentially marking the end of his world championship hopes. Despite being given the green light to pass Norris, Piastri couldn't make much headway on Leclerc, finishing a disheartening half-minute behind Verstappen, who celebrated his first win after a dry spell of 10 Grands Prix.

Reflecting on the challenging conditions, Verstappen said: "The rain came, we stayed out, which was very sketchy, and I had to just keep the car on track. It was undriveable in the conditions. I felt like I was driving a boat, or a jet-ski.

"There was a lot at stake because I had to be aware of the championship so for me this is the best one (victory). And it is a massive boost for the team because it has been a tough period."

In a post-race decision, Norris was fined £4,200 for prematurely starting a second formation lap. Russell, who had started at the front row next to McLaren, received the same penalty.

On what was a difficult day for Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion was overtaken by three newcomers Lawson, Colapinto, and Ollie Bearman.

He only managed to qualify 16th, marking the second time in three races he's been knocked out of Q1, and ended up finishing 10th, a full 50 seconds behind Verstappen and 27 seconds adrift of his teammate Russell, who secured fourth place.

"At least one (Mercedes) car was behaving," Hamilton remarked. "It's like a plank of wood. There's no suspension. It's just bouncing on the tyres, everywhere. Can't get on the power anywhere... I could happily go take a holiday."