Key Highlights:
- Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen start the Brazilian Grand Prix from 20th and 21st on the grid, setting up a rare test for the two modern Formula 1 legends.
- Both world champions caution that replicating their famous Interlagos recovery drives will be significantly harder due to the loss of traditional DRS and the dynamics of modern power unit overtake modes.
- Potential rain and safety car interventions remain the biggest wildcards for both drivers to challenge toward the front of the field.
Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix presents an extraordinary spectacle at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, with multiple-time world champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen lining up in 20th and 21st position on the grid. While the legendary Interlagos circuit has historically been celebrated as an overtaking haven capable of delivering historic fightbacks, both drivers anticipate a far steeper climb through the field under the sport’s technical regulations.
Iconic Interlagos Comebacks Face Modern Realities
The São Paulo venue has witnessed masterclasses from both competitors in the past. In 2021, Lewis Hamilton overcame an exclusion from qualifying for a technical infringement—which sent him to the back of the sprint grid—to charge to fifth, before serving an engine penalty to start 10th in the grand prix and taking a dramatic victory over Verstappen. Three years later, Max Verstappen delivered his own wet-weather clinic after a Q2 exit and an engine penalty relegated him to 17th, storming through the field to pass Esteban Ocon for the win.
However, the modern overtaking dynamic has evolved. The conventional Drag Reduction System (DRS) that once aided Hamilton’s charge is no longer present, replaced by power unit overtake modes that do not provide the same decisive top-speed differential down Interlagos’s long main straight.
When asked how easy overtaking would be compared to 2021, the Ferrari driver replied: Harder, because back then we had, obviously, a very long straight, and if you got close, you had the DRS, and maybe a car wouldn’t have it – whereas now, everyone is just opening up their wings.
Hamilton expanded on the difficulties facing drivers in the pack: I think overtaking will be very, very, very hard. I’m not sure you’re going to see the same sort of races that you’ve seen in the past. But maybe the wet conditions will change that.
Battery Depletion and Strategic Roadblocks
Verstappen echoed Hamilton’s assessment of the technological shift, highlighting that the electrical energy deployment characteristics reduce the delta between cars running in tandem along high-speed stretches.
Now we don’t have DRS anymore,
Verstappen concurred. And the overtake mode is very limiting around here because of the long straight, everyone is draining the battery. So, your speed difference on the straight is going to be a lot less – a bit like Mexico, really. So, it will be quite a lot harder to pass than normal.
When questioned about his strategic approach to slicing through 19 cars ahead, Hamilton kept his expectations straightforward: I don’t have one,
he responded. Try to win, somehow.
Verstappen, on the other hand, believes disruption and neutralizing periods will be necessary to stay in the fight. Lots of safety cars, so they can’t pull away, it keeps coming back to me,
the Red Bull racer said. We’ll see. I don’t really think about it too much. I’ll just go from lap one and see where I end up.
He added: I hope [with Lewis] we can clear the cars in front of us as quickly as we can.
Why This Matters
Overtaking from deep in the field has become increasingly scarce across the 2026 season. Through the opening 19 grands prix, only two race winners have emerged from outside the front row: Verstappen took victory from fifth in Mexico after taking the effective lead on the opening lap, while Kimi Antonelli staged a stunning drive from 19th on the grid in Italy. Because the current aerodynamic and energy deployment rules limit straight-line speed differentials, Sunday’s race serves as an ultimate benchmark for whether elite drivers can still carve through the midfield on raw race craft, or if adverse weather conditions and safety car disruptions are strictly required to alter the running order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen starting the Brazilian Grand Prix?
Hamilton and Verstappen are starting 20th and 21st on the grid, placing both multiple-time world champions at the very back of the pack at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace.
Why do the drivers believe overtaking is harder now than in past comebacks?
Without the traditional DRS device, drivers rely on new power unit overtake modes. Because the long straight at Interlagos causes cars to drain their battery energy simultaneously, the closing speed and straight-line delta between cars are far smaller than in previous years.
Has anyone won from deep on the grid during the 2026 Formula 1 season?
Out of the first 19 races of the 2026 season, only two grands prix were won from outside the front row: Max Verstappen won from fifth on the grid in Mexico, and Antonelli achieved a stunning victory from 19th position in Italy.
