Verstappen mounts huge comeback to win Brazilian GP

Red Bull star Max Verstappen won a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix after starting from P17 at Sao Paulo's Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on Sunday.

Verstappen's victory marks only the fifth time a driver starting 17th or lower has won a Formula 1 race out of 1,121 attempts.

The three-time defending world champion has won from 10 different grid positions, breaking Fernando Alonso's record.

Verstappen started 17th after placing 12th during qualifying. However, he was also slapped with a five-place grid penalty for changing his car's engine.

"My emotions today were a roller coaster," Verstappen said following the race, according to Mauricio Savarese of The Associated Press. "We stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, and we were flying."

Meanwhile, Alpine's Esteban Ocon finished second. His teammate, Pierre Gasly, rounded out the podium in Sao Paulo for the F1 team's best showing of the season.

Pole-sitter Lando Norris, who's Verstappen's biggest threat for the championship this season, faltered to place sixth. The latter now has a cushy 62-point lead in the drivers' standings with three races left in Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, Williams' Franco Colapinto, Hass' Nico Hulkenberg, and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll all crashed and didn't finish the race. Colapinto's teammate, Alex Albon, never made it out of qualifying due to a wreck.