Comeback king Lewis Hamilton takes stunning victory after whirlwind weekend in Brazil.
P1 – HAM
P2 – VER
P3 – BOT
The Comeback Kid
It was an unforgettable weekend for Lewis Hamilton who came out on top in Sao Paulo after back to back losses against title protagonist Max Verstappen.
After being disqualified from qualifying due to a technical issue with his rear wing, Hamilton soared from P20 to P5 in Saturday’s 24-lap sprint race.
But Hamilton’s triumph didn’t end there – due to an engine penalty, he would be set to start 10th on the grid where he would ultimately finish first under the checkered flag. A championship-worthy performance, indeed!
Podium Finishers
Hamilton shot off the starting grid in P10, rocketing to P5 by the fifth lap of the race. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, did not have such success as he lost the lead to Max Verstappen at the start.
Hamilton’s most difficult overtake of the day came from the Red Bull of Sergio Perez whose excellent defense kept the charging Mercedes behind for two laps. Ultimately, the Brit swept past Perez on Turn 4, but hats off to the Mexican driver for his defense against the seven-time world champion.
After the second pit stops of the day, Hamilton and Verstappen once again met wheel to wheel. Verstappen’s notorious “no holds bar” driving was on full display at Interlagos, with Hamilton being shoved wide on Lap 48 (no investigation from the stewards).
It was on Lap 58 Hamilton overtook Verstappen for the lead, which he would end up over 10 seconds ahead of the Dutch driver at the checkered flag.
Thanks to a virtual safety car, Valtteri Bottas finished P3 on a weekend Mercedes will remember for years to come.
Best of the Rest
After losing to both of the Mercedes, Sergio Perez finished P4, and managed to secure the fastest lap of the race after pitting for soft tires on Lap 70.
Thanks to strategy paying off, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished P5 and P6, despite the Spaniard’s contact with ex-teammate Lando Norris at the start.
Strategy worked for the Alpha Tauri of Pierre Gasly as well, who finished P7 after picking off both Alpine drivers after a second pit stop for hard tires on Lap 50.
Ocon and Alonso both managed to end up in the points, finishing P8 and P9 at the checkered flag.
The McLaren of Lando Norris finished P10 for the day, despite a Lap 1 puncture from his contact with Carlos Sainz.
Should Red Bull be nervous?
Lewis Hamilton’s new “spicy” engine will certainly be a point of discussion in the Red Bull garage after an impeccable weekend for Mercedes.
With only three races to go and both the driver and constructor championship battles tight as can be, every millisecond counts.
Looking Ahead
Will Mercedes carry this momentum into the Middle East, or will Red Bull find a way to silence them? It’s lights out at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix next weekend to finish the final triple-header of the season.
