Verstappen needs just one word to sum up astonishing Brazilian GP victory

"Unbelievable!" That was the word Max Verstappen used to sum up the craziest days of his F1 career that culminated in arguably his greatest victory.

From 17th on the Interlagos grid, Verstappen was wheel-perfect in his Red Bull throughout the 69 laps in atrocious conditions to leave him within touching distance of a fourth consecutive F1 drivers' title.

After the criticism of his driving standards in last weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, this was Verstappen at his imperious best as he now leads McLaren's Lando Norris by 62 points - pending a start procedure infringement investigation for the Briton - with only 86 available.

Reflecting on his remarkable drive following a morning qualifying that saw him knocked out in Q2 ahead of taking a five-place grid penalty for his RB20 taking on an additional internal combustion engine, Verstappen said: "My emotions today have been a rollercoaster with qualifying being really unlucky with that red flag.

"Starting P17, I knew it was going to be a very tough race, but we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm, and we were fine, so all of these things together made that result possible.

"Unbelievable! To win here from so far back on the grid, yeah..."

Verstappen delivered a masterclass performance, notably over the opening laps when he made up many laps with superb moves into Turn 1 that laid the foundation for his triumph.

"It's very hard to pass around here with the new Tarmac," said Verstappen, referring to the recent resurfacing of the track.

"There's only one line that you can take, but I just knew I had to go for it. It's always easy to front lock. I just tried to balance that out, and I had confidence on the brakes as well. That helps.

"And Turn 1 is always a great corner to pass."