Lewis Hamilton returned. Following his success at the São Paulo Grand Prix, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion is only 14 points behind world championship leader Max Verstappen. The decision is now made in the desert.

Hamilton frees himself from all adversities and ensures victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix

The compliment came from the boss. “That was definitely one of the best performances I’ve seen from him,” enthused Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff after Lewis Hamilton’s sixth win of the season. The 36-year-old had received a five-place penalty this weekend for an illegal engine change. Due to an irregular rear wing, he was disqualified in the starting chase and had to run from the rear in the sprint.

From 10th position, Hamilton snatched this all-important victory from Verstappen in the Grand Prix. “I gave it my all. It was definitely one of the best weekends, if not the best, that I have experienced in my entire career,” said the seven-time world champion. With the powerful new engine and its driving excellence, the record title still lies in the last three races of the season.

Verstappen has to stay calm despite diminishing lead

Max Verstappen was on his way to claiming his third consecutive Grand Prix victory. Lewis Hamilton, who was driving unleashed, caught him. His advantage in the World Cup has been reduced. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi do not offer Red Bull as clear advantages as Mexico and Brazil recently did due to their altitude. “We still have a good advantage,” said Verstappen, who wants to win his first world title.

“We try to limit the damage. I’m sure we can fight back in the next races.” However, the new Mercedes engine baffles Red Bull’s leadership. “As far as I can remember, we at Mercedes have never seen an engine like this in recent years, unbelievable,” said motorsports consultant Helmut Marko. “Mercedes has achieved a masterpiece in conjuring such a rocket at this crucial phase.” Red Bull itself was unable to make up for the performance deficit with a new Honda engine.

“Diplomacy is over”: nerves in command posts are on edge

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Red Bull team boss Christian Horner likes to poke fun at Mercedes’ Toto Wolff. “We love competition and the more excited Toto gets, the more fun it is,” the Englishman recently admitted. In the World Cup duel, command posts intervened long ago to sow uncertainty between rivals. By the summer, Red Bull and Mercedes had already fought an intense design dispute over the legality of grand pianos; in Brazil, the dispute continued happily. (Read also: Maximilian Günther has big goals in Formula E)

The São Paulo penalty for Hamilton for an uneven rear wing was initiated by Red Bull, who had noticed that the Silver Arrow component was too bent. Wolff deemed the disqualification excessive in the initial chase. From now on, Mercedes herself will question all adhesive tapes on the car. “We had to take a lot of punches to the face this weekend,” said the Austrian. “Diplomacy is over.” (Also read: ATP Finals: These tennis professionals compete for first place in Turin)