13/11/2022
NEWS STORY
Looking around the various websites and mainstream media, one would be forgiven that thinking that Red Bull is on the back foot and that it is Mercedes that currently dominates F1.
This, of course, is based on the fact that George Russell won yesterday's Sprint and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who finished third but is promoted to the front row courtesy of Carlos Sainz's grid penalty, while Max Verstappen could only manage fourth.
What they appear to forget however is that other than starting on the (considerably slower) medium tyre, in the days leading up to the Sprint the Dutchman continued to question the value of the events especially as he is often told not to push for fear of an incident and causing damage - an argument given added weight when you look at where the Alpines start today.
Consequently, we can confidently predict that - barring the intervention of the Weather Gods, which looks likely at this time - it will be business as usual for Max and the Red Bull juggernaut.
In all honesty, yesterday's Sprint was a lot better than some we have witnessed, but we remain sceptical, a situation not helped by those ludicrous medals.
It is speculated that the Mercedes pair will head into today's race on different strategies, which could force Red Bull's hand and cause the Austrian team to adopt a similar tactic.
For some time Toto Wolff has insisted that the W13's performance is track specific, and Interlagos does appear to suit the car, though time will tell if it is good enough to really challenge the Bulls and possibly leapfrog Ferrari in the team standings.
The Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz sandwich the McLaren of Norris, the Woking outfit having been handed something of an open goal courtesy of the silliness of the Alpine duo yesterday.
Sadly - or interestingly, depending on your point of view - Ocon and Alonso start from 16th and 17th this afternoon so there is every likelihood of more silliness.
Talking of Ocon, the Frenchman has been allowed a 'free' engine change following a fire yesterday following a fuel leak. The replacement engine comes from his pool and therefore no penalty is incurred.
However, new parts fitted to Tsunoda's car overnight, including a new floor, rear wing and nose assembly mean the Japanese will start from the pitlane.
Starting from eighth is Magnussen, who is likely to be heading the mother of DRS trains for much of the afternoon, what with the big guns all starting ahead of him, and his well-honed elbows out approach to those behind.
As ever, this could well be decided as early as the first corner, though let's hope that common sense prevails.
Following the non-event that was Mexico and the strategic screw-up on Friday, one team that really needs a good race is Ferrari, though the reality is the Leclerc is now finally beginning to realise what Alonso, Vettel and many more before him went through with this team.
Based on yesterday's evidence, Pirelli admits surprise at the lack of difference in pace between the mediums and softs, though one feels that Verstappen would disagree.
That said the Italian manufacturer admits that it wasn't possible to truly evaluate the performance of the medium tyre, but suggests a wide variety of strategies this afternoon.
There are four strategic options. The first two, which are very close, each consist of a two-stopper. One is to start on the soft tyre before two medium stints to the end. An alternative is to start on soft before going onto medium and then finishing the race on soft again. Track temperatures and conditions will be the decisive factor.
For those looking to a one-stopper, the choice is to start on medium or soft before switching to the hard for a longer final stint. Those two options are also very close but starting on the soft is perhaps better in order to take advantage of its performance in the early stages of the race. As always, it's the details that make the difference, with the risk of traffic and safety cars also a factor.
The pitlane opens and the drivers begin to head out. Air temperature is 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 51 degrees. It is warmer than yesterday, which, as we said earlier, could be a deciding factor.
There's an early excursion for Ocon, who goes off at Turn 4, just as countryman Gasly is warned of a strong tailwind at that particular corner.
Ahead of the formation lap, though it is bright and sunny, race control warns of a 10% chance of rain.
All are starting on softs bar Leclerc, Sainz, Magnussen, Schumacher, Stroll, Alonso, Latifi and Tsunoda who are on softs and Albon who is on hards. All are on fresh rubber bar Stroll who is used mediums.
So, no split strategies as far as the big gun teams are concerned.
They head off on the formation lap. "It's going to be a busy afternoon," Perez is warned.
The grid forms.
They're away! Great start from Russell and as they enter Turn 1 Hamilton tucks in behind, as Norris and the Bulls are three abreast, the McLaren on the inside and Perez in the middle. Through the Senna S, Verstappen gets ahead of Perez who leads Norris who is under pressure from Leclerc.
On the run to Turn 4, Norris is under pressure from both Ferraris, but the Briton holds his line.
Further round, at Turn 8, Ricciardo makes a move down the inside of Magnussen and clips the Haas sending it into a spin. As the Dane completes a full 360, his car rolls back on the incline only to collect the McLaren. Both cars are out on the spot, as the Safety Car is deployed
Behind the Safety Car it's: Russell, Hamilton, Verstappen, Perez, Norris, Leclerc, Sainz, Vettel, Gasly and Schumacher.
"Sorry guys, I'm out, I got a push," Magnussen tells his team. "Damned shame," he is told, "it was looking good."
The incident is under investigation.
Race Control confirms that a recovery vehicle is on track at Turn 10.
Leclerc is assured that an engine issue that is giving him cause for concern is actually "not a problem".
Albon pits at the end of lap 4 and switches from the hards to mediums.
The Safety Car is withdrawn at the end of Lap 6.
Russell leads the field into Turn 1 and as Perez takes a look at Verstappen the Dutchman makes a move on Hamilton attempting to go around the outside of the Mercedes in Turn1. Hamilton gives no quarter, and as they head into Turn 2 they touch sending shards of carbonfibre flying.
Hamilton goes off track and actually uses the pitlane exit while Verstappen loses a number of positions.
"He left me no space," says the Dutchman, "I've got front wing damage." "We saw, Max," he is told.
Shortly after Leclerc and Norris clash at Turn 10 as the Briton tries to go through on the inside, sending the Ferrari off across the tarmac run-off where is lucky not to hit the barriers.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Interlagos here.
At the end of the lap Leclerc and Verstappen pit, while Hamilton, who initially lost pace and dropped back now posts a fastest time in S1.
As Perez posts a new fastest lap, Hamilton is under pressure from Schumacher.
Showing no signs of damage form that incident, Hamilton passes Gasly for 6th.
Both incidents are under investigation.
"How much of my floor is missing," askes Hamilton, the Briton assured that it "looks good".
Leclerc posts a new fastest lap (15.307) as he seeks to make up the 5.7s gap to 17th placed Verstappen who is 17s down on Albon.
After 11 laps, Russell leads Perez by 1.6s with Sainz a further 3s behind.
Hamilton is all over Vettel as they battle for 5th, as the Alpine duo hunt down Stroll.
Verstappen is handed a 5s time penalty for causing a collision. Which will go down well with the world champion.
Norris also gets a 5s time penalty, in both cases for causing a collision.
At the start of Lap 14, Hamilton sweeps past Vettel as they head into Turn 1.
Next up in Norris who is unhappy with his steering.
Told about his penalty, Verstappen replies: "Where did they expect me to go?".
Next time around Hamilton leaves Norris for dead to claim fourth.
Alonso is the first driver to make a scheduled pit stop, the Spaniard sticking with mediums.
At the start of lap 17, Vettel passes Norris as they head into Turn 1. Elsewhere, Zhou pits as teammate Bottas passes Schumacher for 8th.
Sainz pits at the end of lap 17, rejoining in 12th behind Albon. However, there is a worrying amount of smoke coming from his right-rear.
As he is told there was a rear-off in the brake duct, Sainz makes short work of Albon to claim 11th.
Asked about his pace, Norris replies: "What do you think, mate! I'm chilling aren't I, just chilling!"
Gasly pits at the end of lap 19 and rejoins in 16th, ahead of Leclerc.
Verstappen is up to 13th and chasing down Tsunoda as Sainz passes Stroll for 9th.
As Sainz passes Schumacher, Tsunoda pits. The Japanese rejoins in 17th.
Leclerc pits at the end of lap 21, the Ferrari driver rejoining in 17th.
"Are we on a 2 or a 3," asks Sainz, "important to know." "At the moment we are on a 2," he is told, "deg is better than expected".
Perez pits at the end of lap 23, and as he rejoins in 6th, teammate Verstappen pits. The Dutchman rejoins in 17th.
As Russell pits - at the end of lap 24 - Perez is battling with Bottas, the Finn not making it easy for the Red Bull driver.
Norris, Bottas, Ocon and Schumacher all pit, the Briton serving his penalty in the process - as did Verstappen during his.
After 25 laps Hamilton leads, though, like Vettel and Stroll, he has yet to stop.
At which point the German pits, rejoining in 7th behind Alonso.
Bottas passes Gasly to claim 7th as they enter Turn 1 at the start of lap 28, as Vettel keeps a watching eye.
"It's getting quite dark," warns Hamilton, "is there rain coming?" "He is assured that there isn't".
Vettel makes short work of Gasly, as Leclerc passes the second AlphaTauri for 14th.
Hamilton pits at the end of lap 29, the seven-time world champion rejoining in 4th on the softs.
Stroll also pits, the Canadian dropping to 15th in the process.
After 30 laps, Russell leads Perez, Sainz, Hamilton, Alonso, Bottas, Vettel, Ocon, Gasly and Norris.
Hamilton posts a new fastest lap (15.047) as he sets about closing the 5s gap to Sainz.
Stroll sweeps past Tsunoda for 14th, as Verstappen watches the pair from just 0.5s behind.
While the Dutchman makes short work of Tsunoda, Perez is losing ground to Russell, the Mexican now 5.6s down on the race-leader.
"Tyres are feeling good," reports Russell.
"I think we should stick to plan," says Alonso when told of a potential change of strategy, "we are good, we are competitive."
The Spaniard subsequently pits, but it's a slow stop and he rejoins in 16th. Sainz, who is out of sequence, due to that tear-off issue, also pits, the Spaniard rejoining still in fourth.
Alonso completes a lovely move on Albon to claim 15th. The Spaniard is a man on a mission, subsequently passing Tsunoda.
Lap 38 sees a new fastest lap for Sainz (14.754).
Leclerc is closing on 8th placed Norris as Hamilton closes to within 1.9s of Perez.
Tsunoda makes his second stop of the afternoon, rejoining in 17th on softs.
"We're thinking softs for the last stint," Russell is told.
Unable to make a move on Norris, Leclerc is clearly getting frustrated. "We are losing time, guys," he warns.
"Our race is with Checo, correct?" asks Sainz.
Hamilton is all over Perez who is clearly struggling on his old mediums.
At the start of lap 45, much to the delight of the crowd, Hamilton sweeps past the Red Bull on the approach to Turn 1.
Meanwhile, Leclerc makes his third stop of the afternoon. The Monegasque rejoins in 14th.
Bottas and Vettel both pit at the end of lap 45, as does Norris. The Briton rejoins in 16th.
Perez pits at the end of lap 47, the Mexican rejoining in fourth on mediums. Ocon also pits, thereby promoting Alonso to sixth.
Hamilton pits at the end of lap 48, much to his annoyance. "My tyres are good, my tyres are good," he shouts.
He rejoins in third, 8s down on Sainz and 2.4s ahead of Perez.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Interlagos here.
Verstappen pits as do Stroll and race leader Russell. The Mercedes driver rejoins still leading, while Verstappen drops to eleventh.
"Why, what the hell," ask Hamilton as he comes under pressure from Perez. "It was protecting against the undercut and the softer tyre is faster throughout," he is assured.
The seven-time champ subsequently posts a new fastest lap (14.103).
Leclerc passes Vettel for 6th.
"I've lost power," reports Norris as he stops at Turn 10.
The VSC is deployed and Sainz takes the opportunity to pit.
Unable to shift the car, the actual Safety Car is deployed.
"What are we doing, are we racing or securing the 1-2?" asks Russell. "We're racing," he is told, "just be respectful."
"Shoot guys, he's got brand new tyres," says Hamilton of Sainz.
Behind the Safety Car, after 56 laps, it's: Russell, Hamilton, Perez, Sainz, Bottas, Leclerc, Vettel, Ocon, Alonso and Verstappen.
"Let's not focus on him," Ocon is told in reference to his teammate. When he replies "let me race", he is firmly told that he is not to fight Alonso. "Fernando has a tyre advantage on, let him through nice and clean."
The safety car is withdrawn at the end of lap 59.
As they head up the hill towards the start/finish straight, Hamilton is all over Russell. Behind, Perez and Sainz are battling for third, with Leclerc, having passed Bottas, is eager to take advantage.
Alonso has passed Ocon without any drama.
As Hamilton holds station behind his Mercedes teammate, the battle between Perez and Sainz is ferocious.
Alonso passes Bottas for sixth.
Out front, Russell posts a new fastest lap (13.785).
"He didn't leave me space," insists Sainz. Moments later, the Spaniard passes the struggling Red Bull as teammate Leclerc also lines up the Mexican.
Ocon passes Bottas for 8th, as both are picked off by Verstappen in just a couple of corners courtesy of DRS. Leclerc passes Perez on the run to Turn 1.
Struggling on his worn mediums, Perez is now under pressure from Alonso.
Alonso passes Perez for 5th as Verstappen closes in on his Red Bull teammate. However, in terms of runner-up in the driver standings will the Dutchman be called on to support Perez?
On slightly fresher softs, can Alonso make a move on Leclerc?
Up front, Hamilton remains just over a second behind his teammate.
"OK, Max, we're going to take some points off Alonso and Leclerc please." The Dutchman duly passes his teammate and sets about closing the 1.6s gap to the Alpine.
"Think about the4 championship," urges Leclerc, who clearly want to be allowed to pass his teammate.
As they begin the final lap, Russell leads by 1.2s, while Verstappen is 1.2s down on Alonso.
"Please think about the championship," asks Leclerc again. "It is too risky," he is told. And also unfair, in our humble opinion.
Max, if we can't pass Fernando, let Sergio through." However, with the Mexican 4s behind the Dutchman is unlikely to be able to oblige.
"Max, let Checo through please," he asked again. "What happened," he asked as he crosses the line ahead of his teammate. "I told you last summer, don't ask that again to me. OK, are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it."
Hmm.
Russell takes the flag, his first Grand Prix win, while Hamilton claims second ahead of Sainz, Leclerc, Alonso, Verstappen, Perez, Ocon, Bottas and Stroll.
Vettel is eleventh, ahead of Gasly, Zhou, Schumacher, Albon, Latifi and Tsunoda.
"Overall it was a good race," says Sainz, "we had some problems at the start with the brakes on fire," he adds in a masterpiece of understatement. "It meant we had to commit to a three-stop which wasn't the fastest.
"A good podium after starting P7, we can be happy with that."
"We've worked so hard this year to get a win so this is hugely deserved by everybody," adds Hamilton.
"What an amazing feeling," grins Russell. "It's been an emotional rollercoaster this season, even this race.
"Lewis was super-fast and when I saw the Safety Car I thought 'Jesus, this is going to be hard'. On the in-lap, the memories come flooding back, starting with my Mum and Dad in go-karting..."
Against all odds, a 1-2 for Mercedes, while that early clash involving Max and Lewis brought back memories of last season, somewhat unsettling when you think where we are heading next.
Great damage limitation from Ferrari which is more than you can say for McLaren, while Fernando brought home the bacon for Alpine.
Thankfully we didn't see any fireworks between the Alpine pair, but clearly all is not completely well at Ferrari or Red Bull.
A very entertaining race, which thankfully the late safety car didn't spoil, and plenty of passes not all of which required DRS.
All in all a great weekend, what with Russell scoring a maiden win and Magnussen his first pole, definitely one of those weekends that puts the smile back on an F1 fan's face.
Check out our Sunday gallery from Interlagos here.