Which has been Max Verstappen's best São Paulo GP drive over last three years?

Max Verstappen has turned Interlagos into his personal theatre of recovery over the past three seasons, producing three wildly different fightbacks at a circuit that keeps punishing him in qualifying and rewarding him on Sunday.

With the 2026 edition of the São Paulo Grand Prix now in the books, RacingNews365 wants to know which of the four-time F1 champion's three drives through the field stands above the rest.

2025 - pit lane to third

A fresh Honda power unit fitted under parc ferme rules forced Verstappen to start the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix from the pit lane, as confirmed by Formula1.com at the time. Starting on hard tyres, his race was turned upside down again when a right-front puncture sent him in for an unplanned stop on lap six, a move RacingNews365 later revealed was triggered under a virtual safety car. That early stop, however, shifted Verstappen onto an offset tyre cycle that let him spend most of the race on mediums, giving him a pace advantage Motor Sport Magazine described as decisive over rivals stuck on softs. A late stop for fresh softs let him attack and pass George Russell, and Verstappen eventually admitted to RACER that he had not expected a podium when he woke up that Sunday morning, yet he finished third behind race winner Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli.

2026 - 21st to second

This year's edition produced arguably the most dramatic turnaround yet. Verstappen was shuffled to the very back of the 21-car field after Red Bull fitted power unit components beyond his seasonal allocation, incurring what RacingNews365 reported was an aggregate 30-place grid penalty. From 21st, Verstappen sliced through the field over the course of the race, eventually crossing the line second behind Norris and ahead of Isack Hadjar, a result Formula1.com described him reflecting on as one of the more challenging weekends of his campaign given the scale of the penalty he had absorbed. The gap to Norris at the flag was 14.602 seconds, underlining just how much ground Verstappen had to make up after effectively starting from the pit lane in all but name.

Cast your vote

Three different penalties, three different strategies, three podium-topping results. Which of these Interlagos drives deserves the title of Verstappen's best?

2024 - 17th to first

Verstappen's 2024 triumph came in atrocious conditions, with the race disrupted by heavy downpours, a virtual safety car, a full safety car and eventually a red flag.

Starting from 17th on the grid - a net 15th as Williams' Alex Albon and Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin did not start - Verstappen and Red Bull gambled by staying out on intermediate tyres through tricky rain fluctuations rather than pitting, building track position that paid off when the red flag allowed a tyre change without the usual pit-lane time loss.

From there, Verstappen picked off the leaders in the spray, eventually crossing the line more than 19 seconds clear of Esteban Ocon to claim a win that arguably did more than any other result that year to cement his fourth title.

He also took the fastest lap on the way to victory, a near-perfect execution of a changeable, chaotic afternoon.

2025 - pit lane to third

A fresh Honda power unit fitted under parc fermé rules forced Verstappen to start the 2025 race from the pit lane.

Starting on hard tyres, his race was turned upside down again when a right-front puncture sent him in for an unplanned stop on lap six under a virtual safety car.

That early stop, however, shifted Verstappen onto an offset tyre cycle that let him spend most of the race on mediums, giving him a decisive pace advantage over rivals stuck on softs. A late stop for fresh softs let him attack and pass George Russell.

Verstappen conceded afterwards that he had not expected a podium when he woke up that Sunday morning, yet he finished third behind race winner Lando Norris and Kimi Antonelli.

2026 - 21st to second

This year's edition produced arguably the most dramatic turnaround yet. Verstappen was shuffled to the back row of the field after Red Bull fitted power unit components beyond his seasonal allocation, incurring an aggregate 30-place grid penalty.

In a wet-dry-wet race, from 21st, Verstappen sliced through the field early on courtesy of a stunning first stint on inters. By lap eight, he was into the top six.

As the track dried, two stints on softs saw Verstappen eventually make his way up to second, despite feeling that something was "broken" in the car and heavily affecting its balance.

When the final inter stint commenced in earnest, Verstappen had a shot at victory as he was 7.5s behind McLaren's Lando Norris.

Whatever was the issue with the RB22, Verstappen was unable to replicate his opening spell on the green-striped Pirellis, finishing 14 seconds behind Norris at the flag. Regardless, it had been another masterful performance from the Dutchman.

So, three different penalties, three different strategies, three podium results. Which of these Interlagos drives deserves the title of Verstappen's best? Cast your vote!