Written by Marcus Woodhouse
Credit: Ferrari
The final instalment of this triple header through the Americas takes place in São Paulo, and no race this season has been as eagerly anticipated. The Autódromo José Carlos Pace, commonly referred to as Interlagos, is a circuit like no other and the fight at the front is more electrifying than ever, so strap yourselves in for a sensational Brazilian Grand Prix.
Last Race Recap
Last weekend, we were just over 4000 miles (7000 km) away in Mexico City, watching an enthralling Grand Prix unfold before our eyes. Tension was high heading into it, and it was evident on the track as cars came to blows and penalties were dished out at the front.
Qualifying on Saturday saw a shock Q1 exit for Oscar Piastri, who still managed to qualify ahead of a very downbeat Sergio Perez. Q2 threw up fewer surprises, although the order could have been different had it not been for a late crash from Yuki Tsunoda bringing out the red flag and putting an end to proceedings.
The challengers came and went but none could match a highly impressive lap from Carlos Sainz to claim pole position, ahead of Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, then his teammate Charles Leclerc. Then came the two Mercedes cars, ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Nico Hulkenberg who made it a double Q3 for Haas.
As the lights blinked out on Sunday, it was inevitably Verstappen who got the better launch and swept past Sainz at the first corner, as Norris could do nothing tucked up behind the Red Bull. Trouble was brewing further back though and an unfortunate collision between Albon and Tsunoda sent the Japanese driver sliding off into the barriers and put both drivers out of the race, causing the safety car to be deployed.
Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
It seemed that Perez was slicing through the field, making it up to P13 before the safety car, but it soon transpired that he was well outside his grid slot and was duly handed a five second penalty. Meanwhile, Verstappen had initially managed to pull away from Sainz but the gap quickly disappeared, and the Spaniard made his move on Lap 9 at Turn 1 to take the lead of the race.
This brought Norris into play as well, and on the following lap he sensed an opportunity to catch his rival unawares, steaming round the outside at Turn 4. But Verstappen was having none of it and drove the McLaren off the track and into the grass, which later earned him a ten second time penalty, but Norris managed to remain ahead.
The Dutchman wasn’t done yet though, as he lunged down the inside at Turn 8 with no intention of making the corner, putting them both off the track and allowing Leclerc to gratefully overtake the pair of them. Ten more seconds were added to Verstappen’s penalty count, to which his response over the radio was fairly casual.
Credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
In the meantime, Fernando Alonso had been forced into retirement in his 400th Grand Prix, a sad end to such a milestone race. Perez was scrapping with Liam Lawson and it soon turned unsavoury, with both drivers unwilling to yield an inch as they fought potentially for a better chance at the Red Bull drive next year. The two cars made contact with each other and Perez was made to rue the damage to his car later on.
Perez and Verstappen had both pitted and served their respective penalties by Lap 27, the pair emerging dead last, save for Esteban Ocon in between them. The frontrunners followed them in not long after, returning safely into the podium positions. By Lap 40, Sainz led Leclerc by six seconds, with Norris just five seconds further down the road. Verstappen was sixth behind the Mercedes duo, while Perez pitted again to return to 17th position.
Norris finally started to show his pace as he set the fastest lap on Lap 47 and gradually closed the gap to Leclerc. Over the coming laps, he brought it down further and the win wasn’t out of the picture just yet. His teammate Piastri was still making moves as well and he blasted past Hulkenberg for P8, setting his sights next on Magnussen seven seconds up the road.
With the gap under two seconds in the latter stages of the race, Leclerc and Norris started to lap a gaggle of backmarkers and the McLaren driver seemed to be getting the rub of the green to eat into the gap further and make it just over a second. It further declined when Norris set the fastest lap of the race again on Lap 62, putting him right in Leclerc’s mirrors, and that was all it took for the Monegasque driver to lose grip in the final corner and unleash Norris to hunt down his teammate.
Credit: Ferrari
While all this was happening, Lewis Hamilton had been desperately trying to find a way past his own teammate George Russell, but it took all the way until Lap 66 for the seven-time champion to make a move stick. Further back, new boys Lawson and Franco Colapinto were engaged in a feisty battle of their own, coming to blows and forcing the RB driver into the pits with damage.
Norris was slowly catching Sainz, but the gap looked to be comfortable in the end for the Ferrari man. Red Bull called Perez into the pits once again in an attempt to steal the fastest lap point, but the combination of his damaged car and lacklustre driving saw no results. It was Leclerc who took advantage of the sizeable gap to the Mercedes cars behind and took a ‘free’ pitstop, claiming the fastest lap on his last tour of the circuit.
It was Sainz who made it back-to-back Ferrari victories in the end, ahead of Norris and Leclerc. Hamilton did enough against his teammate for fourth, beating Verstappen in sixth. Magnussen drove a brilliant race to keep seventh from the charging Piastri, while Hulkenberg made it a double points finish for Haas to continue their stellar form.
Gasly claimed the final point in tenth, pipping Lance Stroll, Colapinto, and his teammate Ocon to the top ten. Kick Sauber had a disappointing weekend in 14th and 15th, while Lawson was 16th after the late incident with Colapinto. Perez finished last in what can only be described as a woeful home Grand Prix.
Circuit Guide
Credit: Formula 1
The Autódromo José Carlos Pace is known for its brilliant drama, its wildly passionate fans, and its free-flowing nature. It is a circuit adored by all (spare maybe Felipe Massa) and for good reason too.
The run down to Turn 1 is short and the wall on the right hand side is a frightening but realistic prospect for anyone caught in the wrong place in the pack from the start. Very quickly we come to the Senna Esses, a magnificent piece of track that tests the drivers’ handling ability to the limits. Then, it’s a DRS (Drag Reduction System) zone down the straight heading into Turn 4, a tight left-hander where many an overtake has taken place or ended in tears.
Turn 5 is taken full speed in dry conditions and leads into a very brief braking zone for Turn 6, giving the drivers enough control to blast round Turn 7 before slowing the car right down for Turn 8. Turn 9 feels like it can go on forever as they etch to put their foot down, leading into the slow, wide Turn 10. Turn 11 is fairly tight but again taken full-speed before the last slow corner of the lap in Turn 12.
The exit from this corner is crucial and will determine who eventually reaches Turn 1 ahead between two competing drivers. All the remaining turns are flat out and DRS can be activated once again after Turn 14, giving the drivers that extra boost as they surge over the start-finish line to complete the lap, before they dive down into Turn 1 for another tour.
Major Talking Points
Were the stewards right to put their foot down? - Verstappen was hit with two separate ten second time penalties for two incidents in the space of five corners, in a downturn in fortunes for the Dutchman in regards to penalties, so all eyes will be on if he and Norris come to blows again and how the stewards view any incident. Verstappen may be further back this weekend with a potential grid penalty from an extra engine change, so any battle between them may only come after a recovery drive from the reigning champion.
Can Ferrari make it a perfect triple header? - The pace of the Prancing Horse has been sublime throughout this whistle-stop tour of the Americas, and Leclerc and Sainz have one win apiece and have both made it onto the podium in both races thus far, so the Tifosi will be roaring them on to make it three from three in Brazil, and maybe even a Sprint win to top it off.
Credit: Ferrari
Is it finally time up for Perez at Red Bull? - The Mexican Grand Prix is usually a sure-fire way to rejuvenate Perez’s form and put a smile on his face, but it was potentially his worst performance to date, and the pressure looks like it is starting to drag him under and make his Red Bull career end in misery.
Can Haas continue their stellar form? - The American team haven’t finished with both cars outside the points since the Dutch Grand Prix back in August, and with a double points finish in Mexico last time out, their fans will be hoping for more of the same in São Paulo.
Is Lawson driving too aggressively? - Since he inherited the RB drive from Daniel Ricciardo, Lawson has clashed with Alonso, Perez, and Colapinto, and there was much talk after the Mexican Grand Prix from the higher-ups at Red Bull that he was driving dangerously and putting himself and others at unnecessary risk, so it will be interesting to see if there is a change in approach from the young New Zealander and if it hampers his speed.
Weather Forecast
Temperatures will be high, and engines will suffer as a result, but rain could well be on the horizon too. Light chances of rain on Friday are followed by moderate risk of rain on Saturday, before Sunday’s race is forecasted to be rained on at some stage.
Weekend Schedule (in GMT)
Practice 1 - Friday, 14:30
Sprint Qualifying - Friday, 18:30
Sprint - Saturday, 14:00
Qualifying - Saturday, 18:00
Race - Sunday, 17:00
Broadcast Information
Region | Channel |
Africa | SuperSport |
Albania | Euronews Albania |
Armenia | FastSports |
Australia | Fox SportsFoxtelKayo |
Austria | Servus TVORF |
Azerbaijan | AzTVIdman Azerbaijan |
Belgium | RTBF Play Sports |
Bosnia | Sport Klub |
Brazil | TV BandeirantesBandsports |
Bulgaria | Nova Diema Sport |
Cambodia | beIN SPORTS |
Canada | RDS RDS 2 TSN Noovo |
Caribbean | Rush Sports |
China | CCTV Shanghai TV Guangdong Television Channel Tencent |
Chinese Taipei | Videoland ELTA |
Croatia | Sport Klub |
Cyprus | Cytavision |
Czech Republic & Slovakia | Nova |
Denmark | TV3 Viaplay |
Estonia | Viaplay Go3 Estonia |
Eurasia | Setanta Sports |
Finland | Viaplay V Sport 1 |
France | Canal+ |
Germany | Sky Deutschland |
Greece | ANT1 ANT1+ |
Hong Kong | beIN SPORTS Now Sports 1 & 2 |
Hungary | M4 (MTVA Sports Channel) |
Iceland | Viaplay |
India | FanCode/F1 TV |
Indonesia | beIN SPORTS |
In-ship & In-flight | Sport 24 Sport 24 Extra |
Israel | Sport 5 |
Italy | Sky Italia |
Japan | Fuji TV DAZN |
Kosovo | Sport Klub Artmotion Kosovo |
Laos | beIN SPORTS |
Latin America | ESPN |
Latvia | Viaplay GO3 Latvia |
Lithuania | Viaplay GO3 Lithuania |
Luxembourg | RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg |
Macedonia | Sport Klub |
Malaysia & Brunei | beIN SPORTS |
Malta | Go Sports |
Mexico | Fox Sports Mexico |
Montenegro | SportKlub |
Myanmar | Canal+ Sports Canal+ ACTION |
Netherlands | Viaplay |
New Zealand | Sky NZ |
Norway | V sport 1 Viaplay |
Papua New Guinea & Pacific Islands | TVWAN Sports |
Philippines | beIN SPORTS |
Poland | Viaplay |
Portugal | Sport TV |
Romania | Antena |
Serbia | SportKlub |
Singapore | beIN SPORTS |
Slovenia | SportKlub |
South Korea | Coupang Play |
Spain & Andorra | DAZN |
Sweden | Viaplay V sport motor TV10 |
Switzerland | SRF RSI RTS |
Thailand | beIN Sports |
Turkey | beIN Sports |
Ukraine | Setanta Ukraine |
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Channel 4 |
USA | ESPN ESPN Deportes |
Vietnam | K+ |
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