Lewis Hamilton sent Max Verstappen a congratulatory message on Instagram, labelling the Dutchman’s drive ‘amazing’ after he came from 17th on the grid to win the Brazilian Grand Prix by over 19 seconds on Sunday.
The two title protagonists from 2021 started alongside one another on the grid after Hamilton dropped out in Q1 and Verstappen was hit with a five-place grid penalty for changing his power unit ahead of the weekend.
Red Bull’s star driver was winless in 10 Grands Prix before the lights went out but made light work of the pack in testing wet conditions. Within six laps he had climbed from P17 to P8 and after a timely red flag promoted him to P2, he snatched the lead from Esteban Ocon and disappeared off up the road to a historic win.
Taking to Instagram to celebrate his rival’s success, Hamilton posted on Verstappen’s race win post with the caption: “Amazing drive, congrats”, accompanied by a fist bump emoji. The Brit wasn’t the only driver to congratulate the reigning champion as Nico Hulkenberg sent a string of goat emojis in the comment section.
While Verstappen’s drive was one for the history books, Hamilton’s weekend in Interlagos was, for the most part, one to forget. The veteran Brit completed a lifelong dream of driving Ayrton Senna’s 1990 title-winning McLaren on Sunday, but later in the day, he laboured to a P10 finish in the Grand Prix.
“We were just slow,” he told Sky Sports F1 after the chequered flag. “The car was really, really tough. I do really want to say still a big thank you to the guys in the garage. They turned up super early this morning and still did a great job throughout the weekend.
“Everyone back at the factory I know they’ll be feeling the pain. The team could’ve won also today so at least one car was behaving OK. The car is like a plank of wood. No suspension, bouncing on the tyres everywhere and can’t get on the power anywhere.
“The worst ride definitely that we’ve ever had, particularly through corners. Just so stiff. But hopefully, we won’t have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three aren’t so bumpy. I could happily go and take a holiday.”
Hamilton’s P10 does little to help himself or Mercedes, but for Verstappen, his result was critical. Extending his championship lead over Lando Norris from 44 points to 62, he has now all but confirmed a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship crown with three races remaining.
