Verstappen claim made with Hamilton and Alonso put in the shade

Max Verstappen has been hailed as a "step ahead" of the entire F1 paddock - including the "world-class talents" like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. 

The comments from former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer follow Verstappen's staggering victory in the São Paulo Grand Prix, where he finished almost 20 seconds ahead of second-placed Esteban Ocon. 

What makes the three-time F1 champion's victory even more extraordinary is not only that it was achieved in wet at Interlagos but that he started from 17th on the grid. 

In the tricky conditions, Verstappen was one of only a few drivers who did not put a wheel out of place, unlike some of the strongest drivers on the grid. 

Carlos Sainz and Alonso both crashed last weekend, whilst Lando Norris, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made errors. 

The likes of Hamilton and Alonso are notorious for being exceptional in the wet, making their mistakes that much more surprising. 

In Palmer's opinion, it highlights that Verstappen is in a league of his own and deserves the F1 drivers' title this season.

"The grid in 2024 is filled with a huge amount of talent, and yet so many other big names struggled," Palmer wrote for F1. 

"Lando Norris had a couple of late restart errors; Fernando Alonso crashed and spun on Sunday; Carlos Sainz also crashed in both qualifying and the race; Lewis Hamilton struggled for pace throughout, and Charles Leclerc also slithered off the road late on at Turn 4.

"All of these drivers are world-class talents who often thrive in these conditions but made errors on a day where so much could go wrong. 

"This grand prix was a clear display that Max is currently a step ahead of the rest and will be the deserving champion of 2024."