Formula 1: Winners and Losers From the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Esteban Ocon rolled the dice and finished a well-earned second following a brief period in the lead, with Pierre Gasly helping Alpine's cup of joy overflow with third ahead of George Russell.

Charles Leclerc overcame a bizarre Ferrari strategy to finish fifth ahead of a dejected Norris, whose championship aspirations took a potentially fatal blow in Brazil.

Interlagos never hosts ordinary race weekends, and the 2024 Sao Paulo GP was no exception. Rain delays, shunts, red flags, and controversy contributed to a gripping weekend.

But who was doing the samba into the fortnight break, and who was left needing a new umbrella?

Winner: Max Verstappen

Photo: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

From the agony of Saturday and Sunday morning to the ecstasy of victory, Verstappen showed everyone in Brazil why he's a triple world champion with what will go down as one of Formula 1's greatest ever wet weather drives.

The reigning world champion's weekend started badly. He received a five-second penalty in the sprint for a virtual safety car infringement, dropping him from third on the road to fourth in the final results. Qualifying was even worse, as a badly timed red flag meant he only managed 12th fastest, and with his penalty applied, he would start the race 17th.

But in wet conditions, the Dutchman proved to his critics why he was the best driver in F1, gaining seven positions by the end of lap 1 before moving up to sixth by lap 11.

By staying out and not pitting for wets, Verstappen vaulted to second behind Ocon when the red flag came out on lap 32. When the race restarted, he wasted little time getting past the Frenchman, setting a slew of fastest laps on course to a stunning win, extending his championship lead over Norris to 62 points.

Winner: Alpine

Photo: Alpine Media

The dark clouds surronding 'Team Enstone' finally lifted in Interlagos as they secured their first double podium finish since 2013 with a well-executed stragety.

Following an innocuous sprint, Ocon produced one of the finest qualifying performances of his F1 career by putting his Alpine fourth on the grid. He retained his position at the start despite faster cars breathing down his neck and hotly pursued Yuki Tsunoda in third.

Staying out in tricky conditions promoted him into the lead, helping him build a cushion over Verstappen in second and Gasly third, who had quietly made his way through the field from 15th.

When the red flag came out due to the rain intensifying, the Alpines were 1-3, but Verstappen wasted little time passing Ocon when action resumed.

But both drivers had a big enough buffer over Russell in fourth to secure a much-deserved second and third, with Ocon finishing ahead of Gasly. Their double podium vaulted Alpine into sixth ahead of Haas and RB in the Constructors Championship.

Winner: Charles Leclerc

Photo: @ScuderiaFerrari/X

It wasn't an easy weekend for Leclerc, but he should be commended for his efforts in Brazil.

Fourth place in the sprint after holding Verstappen at bay was a decent start to the weekend before he was later promoted to third due to the Dutchman's penalty.

Qualifying for the race was a dissapointment; only managing sixth on the grid behind the two RBs. However, he overtook Liam Lawson on the opening lap and settled in behind Tsunoda and Ocon.

He gallantly held Verstappen at bay for several laps but stopped far too early for fresh intermediates on lap 25, dropping him back into traffic. Despite this, he finished a respectable fifth on the day he was eliminated from championship contention.

Winner: Yuki Tsunoda

Photo: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

Two disappointing weekends in Austin and Mexico City must have made Tsunoda question what he had to do to get some luck, but in Brazil, he finally got some reward for his efforts.

A quiet sprint where he only finished 15th wasn't a good omen for the remainder of the weekend, but in qualifying, he mastered the wet conditions, lining up an outstanding third.

He held his nerve in the race's opening stint and kept Ocon behind for the first 28 laps before the Frenchman passed him for third just before his first stop.

However, shortly after switching to wets, the red flag came out hurting Tsunoda's chances of catching up to now-race leader Ocon, who gained a free pitstop during the stoppage.

Undeterred by this setback, he drove well following the restart coming home eighth on the road before being promoted to seventh due Oscar Piastri's 10-second penalty earning him some decent points from a bittersweet weekend.

Loser: Lando Norris

Photo: McLaren Racing Media Centre

With Verstappen on the back foot and the fastest car at his disposal, Norris had a chance to turn up the heat on the Dutchman, only to squander the opportunity at hand.

Norris missed on pole to teammate Oscar Piastri for the sprint and needed team orders to get past and win the mini race.

He then produced a masterclass in qualifying, taking pole by over a tenth from Russell. But his race quickly unravelled as he was jumped at the start by the Mercedes driver and remained stuck behind him until they both pitted on lap 29.

The virtual safety car caused by Nico Hulkenberg's excursion ended as they made their stops, and when the red flag came out, the cars in front which included Verstappen could make a free pitstop.

To make matters worse, Norris overshot turn 1 and dropped to sixth, remaining in the position until the checkered flag to cap off a wretched afternoon.

Loser: Aston Martin

Photo: Aston Martin Media

Aston Martin's dreadful run of form continued in Brazil, with two damaged cars and some careless driving to boot.

Neither driver made it into SQ2, so Aston Martin had Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll start from the pitlane for the sprint in what became a glorified test session.

Both drivers advanced into Q3, only to crash out in qualifying. The mechanics were up against it, but miraculously, they prepared both cars for the start.

However, Stroll rewarded his mechanics' efforts by spinning on the formation lap. He kept the engine running and produced one of the most asinine moments in the history of F1 by driving straight into the gravel, ending his day without completing a racing lap.

On the other hand, Alonso had an eventful race. The Spaniard ran in the points before going rallycross at Juncao. It dropped him to the back, and he limped home 14th, struggling with back pain.

Loser: Haas

Photo: LAT Images/Haas Media

Rather than stretch their lead over RB in their battle for sixth in the Constructors Championship, Haas endured a torrid weekend where both drivers were in the wars.

Kevin Magnussen didn't even get a chance to drive in Brazil after being ruled out of the weekend because of sickness, parachuting Oliver Bearman in for an unexpected third F1 start.

Despite never having driven the Interlagos circuit before the weekend, Bearman managed 10th in Sprint qualifying but dropped back in the sprint, finishing 14th.

But Bearman had a horrific race, picking up a 10-second time penalty for a collision with Franco Colapinto before eventually finishing 12th following multiple offs.

Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg failed to finish the sprint due to a technical issue before being disqualified from the race for receiving outside assistance after a spin on lap 28.

Loser: Williams

Photo: @WilliamsRacing/X

Two cars completely wrecked, and a chunk of points as well as cash washed away. These factors made Brazil a weekend to forget for Williams.

Until qualifying, Alex Albon had performed strongly, finishing 10th in the sprint and briefly putting his Williams on the front row of the grid. However, a brake failure on the rundown to the Senna S put him in the wall, and with limited time to get the car repaired, the Thai driver was a non-starter.

Franco Colapinto, racing in front of his many Argentine supporters, had a promising start to his weekend with 12th in the sprint. But an accident in qualifying meant he would miss Q2. With relatively minor damage to his car, he took the start and made steady progress before crashing out on lap 32 under the safety car, ending his race.