Verstappen shines again in Brazil
There is clearly a unique connection between Max Verstappen and the Interlagos circuit. Here, the Dutch superstar seems to elevate his performance like almost nowhere else on the calendar. The numbers speak for themselves: three wins, two pole positions, and seven podium finishes in just ten appearances. His feats include the outstanding drive in 2016, one of the first displays of his talent under heavy rain, the 2018 Brazilian GP where he was sent spinning by Esteban Ocon and narrowly missed reclaiming first place from Lewis Hamilton, and the 2024 magic, when he won after starting from P17 in wet conditions.
On Sunday, November 9, “Super Max” added another career-defining achievement. After starting from the pit lane due to severe balance issues with his Red Bull revealed in qualifying, Verstappen made relentless progress through the field, finishing the Grand Prix in third place behind the dominant Lando Norris and an exceptional Kimi Antonelli. From the pit lane to the podium: this marks only the eighth time in Formula 1 history that a driver has managed such an incredible comeback.
Previous pit lane to podium comebacks
The first known case dates back to the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami on April 7, 1984, when Alain Prost started as a favorite following Jacarepaguá’s debut win. However, the track seemed to betray the Frenchman again — having lost the 1983 championship at the final race — when his McLaren suffered a fuel system problem before the formation lap. Prost returned to the pits and ran with the spare car, delivering a solid performance and benefiting from Nelson Piquet’s engine failure (the very driver who had beaten him six months earlier), finishing second behind his unstoppable McLaren teammate Niki Lauda. The race also highlighted a young Brazilian, Ayrton Senna, who completed the event with a damaged Toleman nose, earned his first Formula 1 point, and was carried to the medical center exhausted after a 90-minute intense effort — something he would adapt to quickly in future races.
Later that same weekend, as Prost announced his departure from McLaren, Nigel Mansell became the second driver to reach the podium after starting from the pit lane. Mansell’s race seemed doomed when Mauricio Gugelmin caused chaos at the start, braking late into Turn 1 and hitting the Ferraris of Gerhard Berger and the British driver. Mansell was already racing in the spare car due to an oil leak on his 640 during the reconnaissance lap. Mechanics managed to fix the car, allowing the Briton to make a furious comeback from the pit lane, helped by a series of retirements: Senna retired after just 200 meters due to a gearbox failure, Berger retired on lap 29, Alessandro Nannini lost his left suspension, and Ivan Capelli’s engine failed. Mansell finished second, with a brilliant Jean Alesi fourth on his Formula 1 debut with Tyrrell.
Skipping ahead to 2003, Kimi Raikkonen’s Melbourne GP drive showed a similar feat. Rain before the start disrupted team strategies, splitting the grid between those on slicks and intermediates. Raikkonen realized the track would dry quickly and returned to the pits to switch to slicks, despite starting 15th due to a qualifying error. His gamble paid off: after initial struggles, “Iceman” surged through the field, reaching first place after 17 laps. A drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped him to fourth, but he held P3 after Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari encountered floor problems caused by a duel with Raikkonen, ending the Rossa’s incredible streak of 53 consecutive podiums.
Rubens Barrichello’s comeback in Montreal 2005 was even more fortunate. Starting from the pit lane due to a gearbox issue in qualifying, Barrichello initially expected to finish mid-pack, sitting 12th halfway through the race after his pit stop. However, the GP changed dramatically in the second half: Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso’s dominant Renaults retired, Jenson Button crashed into the wall causing a Safety Car (during which Juan Pablo Montoya was disqualified for leaving the pit lane under a red light), and with eight laps remaining, Jarno Trulli’s Toyota brake failure allowed Barrichello onto the podium, finishing behind Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher. Interestingly, Trulli and Barrichello had another pit lane comeback at the 2009 Melbourne GP, aided by the double diffuser on the Toyota.
Three years later, Sebastian Vettel repeated Trulli’s feat at Abu Dhabi. After qualifying problems left him without a car, the Red Bull driver was relegated to the back of the grid due to insufficient fuel. Despite front wing damage attempting to pass Bruno Senna, Sebastian Vettel used Red Bull’s pace and benefited from a Rosberg-Karthikeyan incident to secure a free pit stop. He recovered to finish third behind Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, losing only three points to Alonso and keeping the championship battle alive as Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber retired.
The last time a pit lane start resulted in a podium was in 2014. In Hungary, a minor fire struck Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes during qualifying, forcing repairs and a pit lane start. Early spins and cold tires made his race even more difficult, but a timely Safety Car allowed Hamilton to switch to dry tires and recover to third place behind Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso.
Near misses
Two other drivers nearly reached the podium from the pit lane but were disqualified. Ayrton Senna in 1988 at Jacarepaguá lost his MP4/4 due to first gear lock before the formation lap, forcing him to take the spare car illegally, ending his climb at second place before being black-flagged on lap 31. Juan Pablo Montoya at the 2004 Indianapolis GP had a Williams fail just before the formation lap. The team delayed in preparing the spare car, and Montoya could only rejoin with less than 15 seconds before the start. Disqualification on lap 57 prevented him from fighting for the podium behind the Ferraris.
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