In the São Paulo thriller, a wildly determined Lewis Hamilton fought back in a World Cup duel with Max Verstappen and thwarted a title decision in Qatar. After an electrifying wheel-to-wheel duel with the Dutch championship leader, the Mercedes driver reduced his deficit in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings to just 14 points.
Hamilton defied two penalties in São Paulo and celebrated his sixth win of the season ahead of Verstappen to the cheers of the fans in Interlagos. The Red Bull driver was no longer able to withstand the onslaught of the Englishman, who started from tenth place, in the closing stages and came in second. Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas landed in third place at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. Sebastian Vettel finished eleventh in the Aston Martin. Haas driver Mick Schumacher dragged himself across the finish line in 18th place after an early crash.
“Let’s get these guys,” calls out Hamilton over the radio
Due to the lack of engine power, the Hamilton company car had been given a new unit, which was contrary to the rules. In qualifying on Friday, the Englishman left his opponent Verstappen well behind, but received a five-place penalty for the race. It got even worse for the 36-year-old. Because of an irregular rear wing, he was disqualified from the start chase. According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, the distance between the movable flaps was just 0.2 millimeters too big. “There is nothing more to lose now,” announced the Austrian and accused the race stewards of a lack of tact. Hamilton raced furiously in the sprint from 20th place to fifth. “It’s not over yet,” said the seven-time world champion imploringly.
Verstappen, in turn, touched the rear wing of Hamilton’s Mercedes after qualifying. But this is forbidden in the so-called Parc Fermé. There was a fine of 50,000 euros for this. In the sprint, the 24-year-old secured two points in second behind Bottas in the second Mercedes, and his world championship lead has now grown to 21 points.
And Verstappen also won the start in the main race. In the first corner he ousted Bottas and accelerated at the front. Hamilton worked his way up from tenth place. On lap five he was already in third place after his Finnish team-mate had let him past. Hamilton was now chasing Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. Wreckage from Yuki Tsunoda’s Alpha Tauri was on the track after a crash, and the Briton caught up in the safety car phase. “Let’s get these guys,” Hamilton called over the radio.
Actually, Interlagos Red Bull is because of the heat and the altitude
Verstappen and Perez were now zigzagging, Hamilton was waiting for the track to be cleared after the safety car. But the Mercedes man couldn’t go past. Instead there was a virtual safety car shortly afterwards. Schumacher had demolished the front in a collision with Kimi Räikkönen in an Alfa Romeo. Hamilton and Perez tackled two laps – in lap 19 the Briton was over and only had Verstappen ahead of him. The defending champion was about 3.5 seconds short of the leader. On lap 27, Hamilton preferred his pit stop and came back on the tarmac in sixth place. Verstappen reacted one lap later and was third after the tire change. Hamilton took up the chase and was suddenly only around 1.5 seconds behind the Red Bull man.
Interlagos Red Bull is actually because of the heat and the altitude, but Mercedes driver Hamilton challenged Verstappen to the utmost. The Dutchman came into the pits on lap 41, after which he was almost 20 seconds short of the new leader. Three laps later, Hamilton drove into the garage and continued his hunt. Then the wheel-to-wheel duel. On lap 48, Hamilton was almost able to pass the outside, but Verstappen left him no space. Both pilots raced over the curb. The race stewards investigated the incident, but the defensive maneuver remained without consequences. Hamilton grabbed Verstappen after all – in circulation 59. And made the World Cup duel with his rival even more exciting.