Pérez leaves his home race with his future at Red Bull once more under intense scrutiny but for Mercedes and Hamilton this was perhaps as optimistic as they have been all season as finally there is a sense that next year Verstappen might not quite have it all his own way. Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One champion, will wear his intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag helmet at next month’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. With the words “We Stand Together” ribboning around it, the lid features the reworked Progress Flag designed by British intersex artist Valentino Vecchietti, with a yellow triangle and a purple circle added. As F1 pitches up in the Middle East, the auto racing tournament has faced severe scrutiny among human rights activists. Lewis Hamilton was fined after taking off his seatbelt to accept a Brazilian flag on his in-lap after his momentous victory. Photograph: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images

It's about owning up and saying, 'Yeah, you know what? We didn't listen to you. It's not where it needs to be and we've got to work'," he said. Max Verstappen is congratulated by Lewis Hamilton after the race’s dramatic finale. Photograph: Mario Renzi/Formula 1/Getty Images Wearing a blue suit, the record 103-time grand prix winner received Brazil’s legislative medal of merit and a diploma, and he made a speech thanking his fans and dedicating the honour to Senna. Last year, Hamilton experienced a roller-coaster weekend in Sao Paulo but ultimately began a run of three grand prix victories that put him level on points with Max Verstappen going into the title decider in Abu Dhabi.Hamilton, who was talking to the latest edition of BBC Radio 5 Live's Chequered Flag podcast, said he still believed Mercedes could return to the front at some point.

Just days before the win, Hamilton condemned Saudi Arabia’s anti-LGBT+ laws and said he wore Pride colours on his helmet to “spark the conversation” on LGBT+ rights in homophobic countries. To add to the controversy, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was given a five-second penalty for causing the decisive crash at the first corner by tagging Alonso's car, dropping him from fourth to 12th and out of the points.

At the VTEX day event, Hamilton again posed with a Brazilian flag and spoke more about his love for the country - revealing invitations from sporting megastars The Aston Martin of Lance Stroll was fourth, followed by Perez, McLaren's Lando Norris and Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu and Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda completed the points positions. What happened before the controversy?

Gasly went with the Ferrari and was on course to take fifth in an impressive performance for the French team before the late drama. Verstappen now leads the drivers' title by 15 points Verstappen in cruise control Despite the chaos, the British driver secured a remarkable victory at the debut Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday (5 December) while wearing his intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag helmet.

That has reinvigorated Hamilton’s shot at claiming second in the drivers’ championship. He was 39 points behind going into the race but now trails by 20, with three races remaining, and the British driver will believe it can be done, not least given Pérez’s poor form.

It’s extremely encouraging to see Lewis Hamilton speaking out on women’s and LGBTI rights in Saudi Arabia like this,” he said. “It’s high-profile interventions like Lewis’s that help undo some of the sportwashing effects of Saudi-hosted events such as the Jeddah Grand Prix.

We're still [multiple] world champions, you know? Just haven't got it right this time. Didn't get it right last year. But that doesn't mean we can't get it right moving forwards."