Lewis Hamilton’s thrilling win in Brazil is Formula One done right

Lewis Hamilton called it the “hardest weekend” of his Formula One career. Former world champion Damon Hill said it was one of the best drives he’d ever seen.

After a roller coaster few days in Brazil, the F1 title race is well and truly back on with the battle between the reigning champion and young pretender Max Verstappen set to go down to the wire. Hamilton has reduced the deficit at the drivers’ summit to just 14 points, with three races remaining after a dream victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

For much of the weekend at Interlagos, it looked like it would be a nightmare after Hamilton was first disqualified from qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race, only to battle back to start Sunday’s main race 10th.

With rival Verstappen all the way forward on the front row, prospects looked bleak for Hamilton, but a trademark surge through the field, culminating with a dramatic overtake of the Dutchman a dozen laps from the chequered flag, saw him take an unlikely victory.

“I gave it everything,” he said afterwards. “This has definitely been one of the best weekends, if not the best weekend, that I have experienced in my whole career.”

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Now to the final straight. Grands Prix in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi will decide the outcome of one of the most thrilling F1 seasons in recent memory. The two protagonists have gone wheel to wheel all season long in a seesaw battle; only the bravest onlooker would now predict the outcome.

This is the sort of title fight even a non-petrolhead can get lost in, with every twist and turn, every crash and collision absolutely pivotal when the drivers involved are so evenly matched.

Hamilton showed why he is a seven-time world champion this weekend, triumphing over adversity when he needed to most. Verstappen must now respond with this captivating season’s finish line in sight.

Yours,

Ben Burrows

Sports editor