Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen drove a brilliant race in a wet Interlagos event and the championship leader recovered from P17 to come home first. A pure masterclass drive.
Alpine scored an awesome double podium with Esteban Ocon second and Pierre Gasly third ahead of early leader George Russell, which promote the team to sixth in the constructors’ standings.
Lando Norris came home sixth – despite starting on pole – behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, but the McLaren driver faces a post-race investigation for a surreal aborted start incident over two hours earlier in the heavily disrupted contest. In the end, the stewards decided to fine and a reprimand for not following the correct procedure at the start.
The first start was aborted when Lance Stroll went off at Turn 4 on the formation lap and damaged his Aston Martin before getting it stuck in the gravel, after which Norris led several cars off the line again in reaction to an “Aborted Start” message, while Verstappen from P17 on the grid was among a separate group that waited for green lights before going around again.
A 10-minute delay then followed, after which Russell jumped Norris on the run to Turn 1 from second on the grid, while Verstappen moved his way through several cars to run P11 at the end of the first lap.
He continued to carve his way through the field for most of the first half, with a series of bold dives/overtakes at Turn 1, where the defending champion was super confident on the brakes in his RB20.
At the front, Russell and Norris pulled clear of the chasing Yuki Tsunoda, Ocon and Leclerc, but the McLaren could never get close to make an attack on the leading Mercedes.
By lap 15, Verstappen had reached Leclerc at the end of the chase group, but he then became bottled up behind the Ferrari in a similar manner to Norris.
Leclerc was a surprise early stopper with a huge increase in rain coming as the clouds got heavier around lap 24, which eased Verstappen’s progress.
The race was then altered significantly when Nico Hulkenberg spun off at Turn 1 with Russell on lap 27, which led to a virtual safety car under which several cars far back in the pack pitted and then the leaders came in at the end of the lap 28.
But this was just as the VSC was ending with the Haas moving again after getting pushing assistance from four marshals and so when Ocon and Verstappen stayed out – plus Pierre Gasly from further back in the other Alpine – they cycled to the lead as Russell and Norris dropped down, along with Tsunoda who had been jumped by Ocon pre-VSC.
The rain was really coming down at this point, with Norris taking advantage of Russell going steady into Turn 4 on lap 30 to final get by and while he shot towards Gasly and Verstappen the safety car was called and the race neutralised.
Under this, Franco Colapinto crashed and a near 25-minute delay ensued – during which Ocon, Verstappen and Gasly were able to switch to more intermediates without losing their places and Hulkenberg was black-flagged for being pushed backwards in the Turn 1 runoff and rejoining.
At the restart for the race’s second half, Ocon easily dropped Verstappen and then raced to a 3.3 seconds lead within a few laps.
But Carlos Sainz crashing slowly on lap 39 meant another safety car, after which Verstappen brilliantly jumped Ocon at Turn 1 at the restart – despite the Alpine appearing to once again initially nail his getaway.
Behind, Norris slid off at Turn 1 under attack from Leclerc, who also moved ahead of Russell, before the Ferrari driver went off at Turn 4 a few laps later and ceded fourth back to the early leader.
Verstappen then checked out with a series of fastest laps to lead by over three seconds with 20 laps to go, with Max constant lowering of the pace meaning he was a extending his lead to 19.3 seconds by the flag despite the rain briefly getting heavier again in the closing stage.
Ocon finished a chunk ahead of Gasly, who held off Russell to the finish, with Leclerc fifth and Norris seventh – losing significant ground to Verstappen, who scored his first Grand Prix victory since June’s Spanish race.
Oscar Piastri – who waved Norris through after his teammate’s second restart off – was seventh on the road by eighth in the results after a 10-second penalty he had accrued for colliding Liam Lawson pre-red flag.
Lawson took ninth after holding off Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez late on – the RB driver and the second Red Bull clashing again while the Mercedes driver was amongst those off the road at various stages.
Alex Albon did not take part as a result of his huge crash in qualifying.
So a champion’s drive by Verstappen. After many critics complaining his aggressive driving in COTA and Mexico, this result is the best response. Despite starting P17 after a tricky qualifying and grid penalty for a power unit change, the Red Bull driver rise to the top to take a masterclass victory.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix, race results:
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 2:06:54.430
2 Esteban Ocon Alpine +19.477s
3 Pierre Gasly Alpine +22.532s
4 George Russell Mercedes +23.265s
5 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +30.177s
6 Lando Norris McLaren +31.372s
7 Yuki Tsunoda RB +42.056s
8 Oscar Piastri McLaren +44.943s
9 Liam Lawson RB +50.452s
10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +50.753s
11 Sergio Perez Red Bull +51.531s
12 Oliver Bearman Haas +57.085s
13 Valtteri Bottas Sauber +63.588s
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +78.049s
15 Zhou Guanyu Sauber +79.649s
Carlos Sainz Ferrari DNF
Franco Colapinto Williams DNF
Nico Hulkenberg Haas DNF
Alexander Albon Williams DNS
Lance Stroll Aston Martin DNS
Max Verstappen has stormed to a remarkable victory in a frenetic Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Dutchman climbing through the field from an original starting position of P17 to score his first race win since June amid changing weather conditions and huge drama along the way – which also saw Alpine score a double podium result.
The chaos started before the event had even got under way after Lance Stroll spun off during the formation lap, leading to some confusion over the aborted start procedure as pole-sitter Lando Norris led a number of cars away while others stayed on the grid, meaning that Norris, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will be investigated after the race for a start procedure infringement.
When the Grand Prix did begin, Russell enjoyed a stronger launch and led from Norris while Verstappen worked his way through the pack in the early stages. As the event unfolded amid changing levels of rainfall, a red flag was thrown on Lap 33 following a crash for Franco Colapinto in the Williams – shortly after Russell and Norris had lost out by pitting just as a Virtual Safety Car period ended.
This meant that Esteban Ocon was leading from Verstappen and Pierre Gasly when the race resumed with a little over half distance remaining. But after another restart – following a Safety Car appearance due to a crash for Carlos Sainz – Verstappen surged into the lead and from there looked untouchable, the world champion going on to take the chequered flag with a margin of 19.477s.
It proved to be a dream day, meanwhile, for Alpine, with Ocon and Gasly holding on to P2 and P3 to score a double podium – resulting in the team making an extraordinary jump from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ standings.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-wins-chaotic-sao-paulo-grand-prix-after-stunning-recovery-from.1DIc8pzRmGbC3jHJmvtBi1
Lando Norris has found himself at the centre of an FIA investigation following an alleged infringement of the starting procedure at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver had got away as normal on the formation lap but plans for the original start had to be aborted after Lance Stroll crashed out at Turn 4.
With Stroll’s Aston Martin beached in the gravel, the FIA elected to abort the start just as the cars formed up on the grid.
When the ‘aborted start’ message was displayed, Norris immediately set off again to complete an extra formation lap – which is a breach of the regulations.
Along with Norris, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson were all placed under investigation for the same infringement.
Article 47. 1 of F1’s Sporting Regulations states that: “If the formation lap has started, and the Race Director decides the start should be aborted, the abort lights will be switched on, a board saying “ABORTED START” will be displayed, all cars should return to the grid and all Competitors will be informed of the likely delay using the official messaging system.
“The starting procedure will begin again at the ten (10) minute signal. Every time this happens the sprint session or the race will be shortened by one (1) lap.”
Norris should have stayed stationary on the grid and awaited a proper restart, rather than going for an extra formation lap.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/norris-facing-fia-investigation-after-brazilian-gp-aborted-start/10670263/
Max Verstappen delivered one of the all-time great wet weather drives in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, going from P17 on the grid to take victory for the first time since June – and extending his lead in the title race over Lando Norris.
Verstappen had been left frustrated after Sunday morning’s delayed qualifying session, when a crash for Lance Stroll and subsequent red flag saw him drop out of Q2 along with team mate Sergio Perez – with Verstappen starting a penalised P17 after a five-place grid drop for fitting a new internal combustion engine.
But a determined Verstappen then overcame a tumultuous and rain-affected Sao Paulo Grand Prix, climbing to P11 on the very first lap before making his way all the way up to P2 behind Alpine’s Esteban Ocon when the race was red-flagged on Lap 32 of 69 after Franco Colapinto crashed his Williams – Verstappen then handed a free first pit stop by the stoppage.
Although Ocon then nailed the rolling restart when racing resumed, Verstappen would then pass him for the lead immediately on a subsequent Lap 43 restart following a Safety Car intervention for Carlos Sainz’s retirement – the Dutch driver going on to open a 19.477s gap over the French driver in the remaining 26 laps after a wet weather performance for the ages.
It meant Verstappen scored his first victory since the Spanish Grand Prix in June – while with title rival and pole-sitter Lando Norris finishing down in P6, Verstappen extended his championship lead to 62 points, meaning he could clinch his fourth title at the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“My emotions today have been a rollercoaster,” said a delighted Verstappen afterwards. “You know, with qualifying, being really unlucky with that red flag and starting P17, I knew that it was going to be a very tough race.
“But we stayed out of trouble, we made the right calls, we stayed calm and we were fine. All of these things together of course made that result possible. I mean, unbelievable to win here from so far back.
“It was very hard to pass around here with the new tarmac,” added Verstappen. “It’s only one line that you can take but I just knew that I had to go for it. It’s of course always easy to front lock, just trying to balance that out and I had confidence on the brakes as well – that helps. Turn 1 is always a great corner to pass.
“I hope [the crowd] enjoyed it!”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/verstappen-reflects-on-rollercoaster-sao-paulo-super-sunday-after-sublime.1jfpVX3N0rQoSRJCWrLKSH
Lando Norris bemoaned his luck after a faltering performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix all but ended his slim F1 title ambitions.
Having qualified on pole position in the rescheduled session on Sunday morning, with title rival Max Verstappen starting down in 17th, the hope for Norris and McLaren was to close the gap at the top of the drivers’ championship.
Instead, a scintillating performance from Verstappen in a wet race with a number of incidents saw the Dutchman blast through to take his first victory in 10 grand prix, while Norris fluffed his lines to finish sixth.
Norris’ race started inauspiciously when he was hit with a starting infringement after pulling off the line despite an aborted start, something that is to be investigated by stewards after the race.
He then lost the lead to George Russell once the race finally got under way and then pitted for new intermediate tyres just as a virtual safety car was ending, losing places just moments before a red flag was thrown.
That meant Verstappen and the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who both ended up on the podium, got a free tyre change before the restart – something that seemingly left Norris unhappy.
“It was the right time to box…it was the right thing. So no regrets, just unlucky,” he said.
“It’s a silly rule that no one agrees with, but you’ll always agree with it when it benefits you, you know. So, every driver has said they don’t agree with it and want it changed.
“So it’s just unfortunate, but it’s the rule. You win some, you lose some it benefitted them today. So, well done to them.”
Verstappen can now claim his fourth world championship in Las Vegas next time out and Norris conceded the Red Bull was on a different planet around the tricky conditions in Sao Paulo.
“I did all I could today. That’s all. Max won the race. Good on him well done but it doesn’t change anything for me,” he added.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/norris-verstappen-could-have-lapped-me-during-brazilian-grand-prix/10670346/
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly executed a phenomenal performance at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, to claim their best overall result in recent years, as the Alpine pair secured a shock double podium in a heavily disrupted race.
In the postponed qualifying session, Ocon took advantage of the mixed conditions to start from P4, with Gasly forced to settle for P13 after he was unable to set a lap due to the myriad of incidents.
However, a combination of skilful strategy – both were able to change their tyres under the red flag brought out by Franco Colapinto, essentially granting them a free pit stop – and strong management of the slippery track surface helped Gasly sail through the field.
He also defended well in the closing stages of the race against George Russell, fending him off to maintain his impressive podium position in tandem with Ocon.
Speaking after the race, Gasly said: “Yesterday the pace in the dry was good, I finished seventh. This morning we had a very poor quali, a couple of incidents, we didn’t get a lap in Q2 so we started far and managed to make 10 positions.
“I’m absolutely buzzing right now! I’m just so proud of the team. To overcome such a tough season… it would have been too easy to give up but we never gave up and here we are. Both cars P2 and P3, a lot of points for the team and everyone should be very proud today.
“It’s incredible for the whole team. We had such a tough season, we’ve struggled to score points. In these conditions everything was possible. No one believed it until the end – two cars on the podium, I don’t think anyone would have got that on their bingo card ahead of this season. It’s just fantastic.”
Ocon appeared equally as delighted as he netted his best finish since his maiden victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Whilst he was unable to match race winner Max Verstappen’s pace, he still got the joy of leading the pack for several laps in Sao Paulo.
“What a day that was,” he summarised. “After the difficult season, it’s really nice to be driving around here and having the performance a bit levelled out in the rain.
“Someone very important to all of us said a long time ago that in the rain, the cars are almost equal. That phrase didn’t age at all, and I’m very happy to be today on the podium. I think it’s been awesome, and the support I receive here from all the Brazilian fans is incredible. I can’t thank everyone enough.
“The car was extremely difficult in the dry. I felt that ease when it started to rain this morning, and last night I really wanted to get some laps in the rain. I really love it here when it rains. Today has brought a special race for us.”
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/we-never-gave-up-and-here-we-are-alpine-pair-overjoyed-by-unexpected-double.62mmKviVydA0WmbOHp1zpc
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes driver George Russell have each been handed a reprimand and a 5,000 Euro fine for breaching the FIA’s start procedure at Formula 1’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
Sao Paulo’s F1 race received a messy start, with Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll spinning into the gravel on the formation lap at the entry into Turn 4. Stroll’s stricken car meant the start had to be aborted, which resets the start procedure and comes with a 10-minute delay for crews to ready the cars for the new start.
Drivers are supposed to return to the starting grid or stay there when the aborted start message is displayed, but polesitter Norris launched off the grid when the message appeared on the start gantry.
In the confusion the drivers directly behind Norris followed his example; second-placed starter Russell and both RB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. Others followed the procedure correctly and remained stationary, like Red Bull’s eventual winner Max Verstappen who was confused by what was going on. Eventually every car left the grid to catch up to the rest of the train.
The incident was investigated after the race so the FIA stewards could hear from the teams involved, and late on Sunday night they penalised Norris and Russell for not followeing the right procedures.
As the front row starters that caused the disruption, Norris and Russell were slapped with a 5,000 fine and a reprimand for not following the correct procedure.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/norris-russell-fined-and-reprimanded-for-aborted-start-chaos-in-brazil-f1-gp/10670446/