(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mercedes showed a combative performance in the F1 sprint at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and kept the damage within limits after Lewis Hamilton was excluded from Friday qualifying. Valtteri Bottas secured victory in the 24-lap race ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull), and Hamilton finished fifth after a strong race to catch up, thus securing tenth place on the grid.
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Valtteri Bottas has secured pole position for the race in Sao Paulo
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Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) withstood the pressure from Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and finished third despite the softer tires. Lando Norris (McLaren) finished sixth, followed by Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin).
Mick Schumacher (Haas) was penultimate and secured 19th place on the grid for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
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How did Verstappen lose pole?
Actually, Verstappen even got a wafer-thin better start from the line than Bottas. But after a few meters he suddenly lost momentum, so that Bottas, with the advantage of the soft tires (Verstappen: Medium), was able to take the lead relatively easily until the first corner.
Possibly the reason for the slow start was the upshift. Verstappen reported on the pit radio: “This stupid problem with the gearbox synchronization all the time!” Later on on the first lap he drove off the track so that Sainz slipped through. But Verstappen only had the Ferrari driver shortly before him.
From then on, the race was a game of patience for him. With the harder medium, he would have advantages over Bottas, especially towards the end. After ten laps, Verstappen was still one and a half seconds behind. And after 15 (out of 24) it appeared for the first time within Bottas’ DRS window.
But because he had more to lose than to win, Verstappen did not take any unnecessary risks and did not dare to seriously attack Bottas. In the end, the Finn was able to drive home safely in the sprint and thus secured pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix (formerly: Brazilian Grand Prix).
What did the two of them say after the sprint?
Bottas stated that he knew “that the start is the best chance to take the lead”. Ergo the decision for the soft tires. “That worked out fine,” he says. However, he had to work hard at the finish in order not to make a mistake, because: “In the end the tires were pretty worn out.”
Verstappen blames a problem with upshifts for the bad start. After that, the pace was “good”. But: “You can’t overtake here because the tires overheat so quickly. I have seen that Valtteri is struggling more and more. But my tires also deteriorated when I tried to get into his DRS.”
Why did Hamilton actually start from last place?
He was subsequently disqualified by the same person because of an illegal DRS in Friday qualifying. He was still able to take part in the sprint because of a special permit from the FIA commissioners. Because he achieved lap times in the free practice sessions that clearly suggest that he would not have failed a 107 percent hurdle.
By the way: The full English version of the reasons for the verdict on the FIA decisions in relation to Hamilton and Verstappen is available in the Ticker “Paddock live” with Ruben Zimmermann to read on Motorsport-Total.com and Formel1.de.
How did Hamilton’s race to catch up?
Right at the start he passed both Haas and Williams. He came back from the first round in 15th place. It got exciting for the first time when he had Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri), a driver from the Red Bull family, in front of him. But Hamilton also made short work of that. In the Senna-S, he braked so late on the outside that he almost rushed into the Alfa Romeos driving in front of him.
And that went on in the key. Until he ran into Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren. Behind that, Hamilton initially found it harder. On lap 12, however, he caught the last corner well, sucked himself in at the start and finish and passed the Senna-S. After that it was Vettel, Ocon and Gasly’s turn relatively soon.
With one lap to go, Hamilton fought Norris down with a courageous maneuver. It was to be his last act of the day. “It’s not over yet,” he radioed as he crossed the finish line. In the end he finished fifth, 20.9 seconds behind Bottas. That means tenth place on the grid for the Grand Prix.
How was the sprint from a German point of view?
For Sebastian Vettel, within the scope of Aston Martin’s possibilities, quite well. He won two positions in the early stages and then followed Ocon for long stretches. Ultimately, he secured tenth place. That means starting position ninth in the race on Sunday, because Hamilton will be postponed by five positions.
“I think that was the maximum for us today,” says Vettel. “I had a very good start and a good first lap. I made up two positions. Lewis was too fast. We couldn’t keep him.”
Mick Schumacher drove a lonely race. He only saw Hamilton driving past the start. Then he drove after the field together with team mate Nikita Masepin. Haas had no chance against Williams either. In the end it was P19 for the German. After all, solid in front of Masepin.
What was the joke of the day?
He goes to Vettel. “I’m going to touch Hamilton’s rear wing now,” he radioed. “Just kidding. I’ll take the front wing. Maybe it’ll only cost 25,000!” An allusion to Verstappen’s 50,000 euro fine, which he got himself in the Parc ferme after Friday qualifying …