Lewis Hamilton, now a six times world champion, collided on the penultimate lap with Red Bull’s Thai rookie Alexander Albon and immediately recognised he was at fault.
The pair, who collided while fighting for fourth place on Sunday, were forced to retire from the race, leaving Ferrari embarrassed and pointless and the drivers arguing about who was to blame.
The highly-rated young Spaniard came home fourth on the road for McLaren in Sunday's tumultuous race, but was promoted to third when six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was penalised - and then made to wait while his own race was investigated.
The four-time champion German clocked a best lap in one minute and 7.948 seconds to outpace new five-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes by two-tenths of a second.
The Spaniard, now 37, won both of his 2005 and 2006 titles with Renault at Interlagos and the ramshackle but atmospheric Sao Paulo circuit has given him plenty of memories over the years, if no race wins.
That triumph, earned with a last-lap pass that lifted him to fifth in teeming rain, has since become an iconic snapshot which confirmed his potential and fired him to multiple-title glory.
Lewis Hamilton, who clinched the title in Mexico two weeks ago, started from the pit lane after changes to his car following a crash in qualifying then began a thrilling charge through the field.
Showing no sign of letting up despite clinching his fourth world title in Mexico at the end of October, Hamilton lapped the anti-clockwise track with a best time of one minute 09.202 seconds.
The 19-year-old Red Bull driver had accused the Williams veteran of wrecking his best lap in qualifying at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The crash that halted the race for the first time, Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari spinning, was an incident of particular focus.
The Briton’s third win in a row from pole position and first in Brazil left him 12 points behind Rosberg.
Nico Rosberg cut team mate Lewis Hamilton’s championship lead to 17 points.
Nico Rosberg seized the top spot with a lap just 0.033 of a second quicker than Hamilton.
Australian team mate Mark Webber bowed out of the sport with second place.
Webber lapped the anti-clockwise Interlagos circuit in a time of one minute 27.891 seconds.
Sebastian Vettel says he enjoyed pairing with Mark Webber despite personal clashes.
