The final round of the triple-header was held in São Paulo for the Brazilian Grand Prix. The legendary circuit was home to iconic moments in Formula 1, especially when torrential rain played a role—which happened again this year. Ironically, the weather change raised the temperature on the playing field, bringing us one of the best (and worst) displays of racing in 2024.

1. Qualifying never felt more wild this season. While the sprint race stayed cloudy but dry, the same could not be said for the main qualifying sessions on Saturday. Heavy downpours and winds delayed its start until it was declared postponed entirely. The track was still damp Sunday morning, yet the drivers and the audience wanted it over and finished.

In order, Franco Colapinto (Williams), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Alex Albon (Williams) spun their cars and hit the barriers hard enough to warrant red flags. The Thai-Brit’s damage was so severe that mechanics couldn’t fix his FW46 in time for the race happening in three hours.

2. Luck was nowhere for some drivers in the wets. Stroll lost grip during the formation lap sliding his AMR24 off-course, but still within the tarmac. However, he miscalculated (you be the judge) his environment and unintentionally drove onto the wet gravel trap, ultimately ending his race before it even started.

Later, on Lap 32, Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) spun at the first corner, momentarily killing his engine. However, marshals assisted in jump-starting, resulting in his disqualification—a move that wasn’t seen since 2007. Shortly after, Colapinto spun into the wall of the fast corner leading up to the start-finish straight, bringing the race’s only red flag.

After the restart, Ollie Bearman (Haas)—who filled in for Kevin Magnussen (Haas) due to an illness—attempted to climb up from the back until a costly rear slip ended any chances of getting points. Meanwhile, Sainz also lost it two laps later, and retired after the suspension gave way upon impact.

While Alonso finished the race in the back, he dealt with the bumpiest roads his car (and spine) could not handle. The Spaniard was seen struggling to stand properly at the end, needing to grab his mechanic’s shoulders for support.

3. McLaren and Mercedes lost the gamble. The Papaya and the Silver Arrows shared the bad luck caused by the virtual and actual safety car outings. Lando Norris (McLaren), who had qualified in P1, immediately lost his lead to George Russell (Mercedes-AMG) and stayed behind him throughout the race.

The damaging move for both drivers was the virtual safety car, deployed after Hulkenberg’s spin, signaled them to pit for a fresh set of intermediate tires. Unfortunately, the red flag waved soon after, frustrating both Brits whose gamble didn’t pay off. In the end, they finished outside of the podium.

4. Super Max is back on the top step. The weekend didn’t start the way Max Verstappen (Red Bull) wanted to. First, an engine change slapped him with a five-place grid penalty. Then, a red flag during Q2 resulted in P12, and that placed him in P17 (although Albon’s and Stroll’s retirements brought him up two positions).

The three-time world champion quickly racked up place after place, and achieved an astronomical P2 before the red flag waved. Lap 43 was the big moment when the Dutchman finally took the lead in the pouring rain of Interlagos, and won it with pure talent and a bit of luck.

5. The two Frenchmen finally shared the podium. Alpine has been the least expected team to excel throughout the season, but everything changed when Esteban Ocon became the race leader after Norris and Russell were told to box. His teammate Pierre Gasly was also behind following an impressive rise from P13 to P3, placing him behind his former partner at Red Bull.

After the restart, Ocon was surpassed by Verstappen into the first corner—thankfully without taking both drivers out like in 2018. Nevertheless, the Enstone-based French team snagged a double podium for the first time in its current name which brought two longtime frienemies together.

The circus will take a two-week break, especially when the next race is the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 24, 2pm (Philippine time). Could Lando recoup from the rainy blunder and take on the championship, or will the inevitable happen to Max for the fourth time?