If Lewis Hamilton clinches a record eighth world title it will be in no small part due to Sunday’s against-all-odds Brazil win he ranked as “the best weekend I have experienced in probably my whole career.”

On Friday night that looked a fanciful idea, when he was hit with disqualification from pole in Saturday’s sprint after the stewards had detected a minor infringement on his car. Setting off 20th he produced a vintage overtaking masterclass to take fifth, which dropped to 10th in the grand prix grid after a penalty for an engine change. With championship leader Max Verstappen on the front row alongside Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas on pole, a win looked improbable.