British driver George Russell (Mercedes) won the sprint race of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Brazil this Saturday, which, in addition to splitting points, also set the starting grid for Sunday’s feature race of the 21st round.
This is George Russell’s second Formula 1 pole position, having already made his first grid debut at this season’s Hungarian GP.
Russell completed the sprint race in 30.11.307 minutes, leaving Spain’s Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) second at 3.995 seconds, while Britain’s Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) finished in third with 4.492.
Dane Kevin Magnussen (Haas), who had started first for this shorter race, finished eighth.
Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who started from second place on medium tyres, against the opponent’s soft tyres, managed to take the lead, but eventually succumbed to the attacks of first Russell and then Carlos Sainz.
In the duel with the Spanish driver from Ferrari, Verstappen hit Sainz’s right rear wheel with the front of his Red Bull, damaging the front wing.
The already world champion would still lose third to Lewis Hamilton, opting not to relinquish fourth to his team-mate, Mexican Sérgio Pérez (Red Bull), who had asked the team to switch places , because he says he needs it “of the points” to hold on to second position in the championship.
This was Max Verstappen’s first time losing a sprint race since they were introduced to the Formula 1 World Championship in 2021. This year the format has already been used in the GP of Emilia Romagna and in Austria.
“It was incredible. It’s a demonstration of the progress we’ve made as a team. Tomorrow (Sunday) we’re going for the win,” stressed Russell.
With these results, Max Verstappen retains the lead of the championship – he has already mathematically secured his second championship – with 421 points, followed by Pérez with 284.
Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), who finished sixth, is third in the championship with 278 points, followed by Russell with 239.
The main race takes place on Sunday, with 71 laps, worth 25 points to the winner, instead of the eight awarded today.
Source: DN
