Max Verstappen climbed up from 17th on the grid to win the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, one of his greatest victories taking him to the brink of a fourth world title.
Rival Lando Norris of McLaren had a difficult race, finishing sixth after a couple of key errors, to fall 62 points adrift off Verstappen with 86 still available in the final three races.
Verstappen will become world champion if he leaves the next race at Las Vegas on 23 November with a lead of at least 60 points.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took the final two podium places to transform Alpine’s season and move the team up from ninth in the constructors’ championship to sixth.
A chaotic, incident-strewn, wet race that involved a red flag, two safety car periods and a series of crashes and incidents will be remembered for a victory that was not only Verstappen’s 62nd, but one of the greatest wet-weather victories of all time.
Ocon and Gasly were comfortable in second and third places for the rest of the race, even though Russell finished on the tail of the second Alpine.
Tsunoda, who had run strongly in third place for so long before his pit stop at one-third distance, took eighth, ahead of team-mate Liam Lawson, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who at least scored a point after a desperate weekend for the seven-time champion.
