Red Bull broke their own pit stop record on Sunday in Brazil, when they recorded a 1.82 second stop for driver Max Verstappen.It was the third time this season that the team have managed the feat - breaking the record first in Britain with a 1.91 second pit stop, and then again in the German Grand Prix with a 1.88 stop.That means that their most recent feat shaved a whole six hundredths off the record that was set in Hockenheim.Red Bull didn’t have a lot to race for this weekend, with Lewis Hamilton already securing his sixth World Championship title in the US Grand Prix in Texas earlier this month.The team themselves can celebrate a brilliant accomplishment, however, as their speed in the stop enabled Verstappen to win his third race of the season.

Hamilton finished back in seventh after a five-second penalty demoted him from third, with fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas forced to retire after engine trouble.

In a race that was billed as a ‘dead rubber’, the next generation of driving talent came to the fore and could leave the sport on an intriguing cliff hanger before next season.

For many years now, F1 has seemed a bit predictable with Mercedes winning most of the races and Red Bull or Ferrari playing second fiddle. However, the second half of this season showed that things could be a lot more competitive going forward.

The podium in Brazil had the youngest ever top three with an average age of 23 years - eclipsing a record set more than a decade ago at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull have found a new star in Verstappen and with their team making the right movements in the pit lane, it could see an end to the Hamilton/Mercedes dominance of the past several years.

The last race of the season is in Abu Dhabi on December 1, it may be another indication to F1 fans whether they are due more competitive and exciting races when the 2020 season starts in March.