Verstappen: I felt unstoppable

Verstappen delivered a sublime performance on Sunday at Interlagos, recovering from a disastrous qualifying as an untimely Red flag in Q2 meant he was 12th fastest which also meant that he had to start the Grand Prix from 17th on the grid after serving the five-place penalty he was handed for taking a new engine.

Over the course of a chaotic race that saw many drivers go off, as five of them did not finish, the triple Formula 1 champion was faultless on his way to his first win since the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix, as Red Bull did their part as well with a perfect strategy.

Speaking in Red Bull Racing's post-race report, Verstappen was clearly emotional, he said: "Today was honestly incredible.

"I am super proud to win here in Brazil as it is a special place for me, but also because we started from P17. I firstly want to say a big thank you to the Team: they did an amazing job, made all the right calls and were incredibly calm.

"We had a really good start and made some good overtakes and made the right decision to stay out before the red flag. I always feel confident in the wet and driving in these kind of conditions, but today the car gave me confidence to go for it. It felt really good to drive and was fast so I felt unstoppable today.

"It was definitely an emotional win; I was really motivated and put everything into this race and I surprised myself today as I wasn't expecting to finish in P1. This was a really strong result for us today and I'm really proud.

"Simply Lovely," the 27-year-old driver's concluded, with his trademark phrase.

Sergio Perez in the sister Red Bull failed to score points despite starting from 12th, five positions ahead of his teammate. He finished 11th.

Perez said: "It was a mixed weekend and we missed out on some luck today. Our tyres were very cold at the start which limited us and then we pitted just before the red flag, we were on the wrong side of things from the start.

"We had some good battles out there but it was quite difficult to pass," the Mexican who spent a big chunk of the race fighting with VCARB's Liam Lawson and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

"The conditions were mixed all day with the rain coming and going throughout the session and it was also strange to do qualifying and the race in the same day.

"I'm glad we were able to race today and for the fans to be able to see track action as it is a very passionate crowd here.

"A big congrats to Max, he was strong all weekend and really charged through the field today, it is a great result for the Team. It is the end of a triple header and was probably our most competitive weekend as a Team in a while.

"Hopefully the final three races will be positive for our Championship fight," Perez concluded.

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner was understandably full of praise for Verstappen after what will go down in history as one of the Dutchman's best ever performances.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said of Verstappen: "In the wet and the dry he's the best in the world at the moment.

"One of his very best drives today. That marks him out with some of the greats now," he added.

In Red Bull's race report Horner said: "Max put on a masterclass today, he was just brilliant. In these conditions the driver skill really comes out and he was in a league of his own.

"As a Team we got all of the strategy calls right and the car had great pace. What a transformation from this morning when we thought that the top five would have been an incredible drive. To come from 17th on the grid, and through nearly the entire field, it was an incredible performance and one of Max's very best.

"Checo had a stronger weekend as well, and had some unlucky moments during the race," Horner said of Perez's race.

"The Team demonstrated today that we are never going to give up, that was evident both at the track and with the whole Team back in Milton Keynes.

"What a great result for the Team, and we are going to carry this momentum with us for the final triple header of the season," the Briton concluded.

While Red Bull's defense of their F1 constructors' title is probably hopeless, Verstappen's title defense received a great boost as he is now 62 points ahead of McLaren rival Lando Norris.