Against the odds and defying the numbers, after a weekend of slings and arrows, Lewis Hamilton took arms against his sea of troubles with a remarkable win. He delivered a champion’s drive under circumstances that might have left a lesser man bowed.
Instead by coming from 10th to beat his title rival Max Verstappen into second, Hamilton leaves Brazil head held high, having turned what might have been the weekend that ended his championship hopes into one that has reignited them.
Hamilton’s fighting spirit is well documented. He needed every ounce of that character this weekend and draw on it he did to return what might be the defining moment of the season.
The 36-year-old’s forward-facing attitude in his pursuit of success is such that his recollection of previous races is often vague. Yet the scale of the achievement was clear as he recalled with clarity the only similar weekend of his career in F3 at Bahrain in 2004.