Former F1 world champion Damon Hill described Lewis Hamilton's victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix as "one of the best driving I've ever seen in Formula One".
Mercedes team manager Toto Wolff, who witnessed 80 of Hamilton's 101 Grands Prix wins, said "it's one of the best performances I've ever seen".
It could also be a key race to determine where this year's champions belong. Thanks to Hamilton's victory, there was only a 14-point gap between them.
The decisive moments of the race came on laps 48 and 59, with Hamilton failing to try to overtake on lap four and then succeeding.
Hamilton crushed his opponents on the back straights and led half a car as they turned into corners. Verstappen braked a little late on the inside, missing the best time when he asked Hamilton to take action to avoid a collision, causing both cars to go into the tiebreaker zone.
In qualifying, Hamilton's speed advantage was clear. During the race, Mercedes believed the main difference was that their car was able to keep the tyres in better condition than Red Bull – evidenced by a lack of grip on the front wheels and Verstappen suffering in the first three corners.
"This year has been really tough for us," Hamilton said. "After the summer break, we wished we could be quick, but we didn't. We haven't really had a great show yet.
"We've had two games where we've been leading and the rest of the game we've struggled. Then come here and trail by 19 points and we really need a steady play.
"Psychologically, you can think it's over, I don't think so. But as long as you are attentive, nothing is impossible. That's why we cultivate a positive mindset and keep fighting. ”