The Brazilian Grand Prix delivered many interesting stories, Max Verstappen ending his ten-race winless streak with a stunning victory or both Alpine drivers celebrating together on the podium. The main ones, however, came from the contrasting performances of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, two of F1’s biggest stars.

Max Verstappen had one of the best races of his career, fighting his way up from 17th on the grid to win the race. This win brought him even closer to his fourth world title, which he can now secure in Las Vegas if he keeps a 60-point lead over Lando Norris, now it stands at 62.

If the Dutchman wins this season, he will be only the second driver in F1 history, after Sebastian Vettel, to win his first four titles in a row.

Commenting on his performance, Jeremy Clarkson, former Top Gear and Grand Tour host, called Verstappen possibly the greatest F1 driver we’ve seen. 

"We learned two important things during last weekend’s grand prix in Brazil," he wrote in his column for The Sun.

"Well, three, if you count Lance Stroll, who crashed his freshly repaired car on the formation lap, and then drove it into a gravel trap.

"First of all, Max Verstappen is one of the all-time greats, he may even be the greatest driver we’ve ever seen…"

In contrast, Lewis Hamilton had a tough weekend. The seven-time world champion struggled to keep up, failing to reach Q3 in both the sprint and main races and finishing 10th overall. 

Meanwhile, his teammate, George Russell, started from the front row and led in the early stages, highlighting Hamilton’s struggles. Regarding that, Clarkson suggested that Hamilton, turning 40 next year, may be past his prime.

"…and second, Lewis Hamilton is past his prime," he continued.

"He blamed his car for his tail-end qualifying session but his team-mate, George Russell was on the front row.

"Of course, it’s possible that because Lewis is moving to Ferrari next year, the team are filling his fuel tank with lemon barley water instead of petrol.

"But that seems unlikely, it is far more probable that he’s now too old."

While Hamilton still holds many records, including most wins and pole positions in F1 history, his upcoming move to Ferrari in 2025 may signal the closing phase of his career.