Christian Horner: "Max put on a masterclass today, he was just brilliant. In these conditions the driver skill really comes out and he was in a league of his own. As a Team we got all of the strategy calls right and the car had great pace. What a transformation from this morning when we thought that the top five would have been an incredible drive. To come from 17th on the grid, and through nearly the entire field, it was an incredible performance and one of Max's very best. Checo had a stronger weekend as well, and had some unlucky moments during the race. The Team demonstrated today that we are never going to give up, that was evident both at the track and with the whole Team back in Milton Keynes. What a great result for the Team, and we are going to carry this momentum with us for the final triple header of the season."
George Russell finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton tenth in Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. In a compressed Sunday schedule, qualifying and the race were held on the same day, with qualifying at the unusually early hour of 07:30 local time.
George led the field into Turn 1 after a strong start from P2, and headed the field until a VSC period was called on lap 28. Using the VSC period, which coincided with a heavy run shower the team called George to the pits to fit fresh intermediate tyres, followed by Norris from P2.
George rejoined in P4, and was passed for P5 by Norris before the race was red flagged. Resuming after the red flag, George climbed to P4 but was unable to make further progress without the overtaking assistance of DRS.
Lewis started from P14 owing to incidents for other cars in qualifying and drove a battling race to secure the final point. Struggling throughout for rear grip and confidence, Lewis spent the final stint stuck behind Lawson's slower car, unable to pass in the wet conditions.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: It has been a tough triple header for the team - and the final day of competition continued in very much the same way. Qualifying and the race itself were bittersweet: Lewis struggled for confidence in the car, and did not progress past Q1 in a session that saw several cars finish out of position; George was able to build greater confidence in the rear end in particular and took a strong P2 on the grid. The aborted start led to some unusual circumstances but when the race proper began, George ran strongly at the head of the field until the VSC came out at the same time as a heavy rain shower. We wanted to use that opportunity to change his worn intermediate tyres and were followed into the pits by Norris from second place - while Verstappen and the Alpine drivers stayed out and took the gamble on a Safety Car or red flag, which subsequently came. When racing resumed, with everybody on new tyres, George was able to get past Leclerc into P4 but then - as we saw up and down the field today - got stuck behind an ultimately slower car and was unable to overtake, without DRS available. It was the same story for Lewis a little further back, who climbed into the points but was unable to pass Lawson despite several close attempts. P4 and P10 feel like a meagre reward after leading the first part of the race, but there's plenty for us to pick through and learn from across this weekend, and from the last three races. We will be focusing on that work in the coming days, to give ourselves the strongest foundation for the final triple header of the season.
Scuderia Ferrari HP picked up 20 valuable points across the two races of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix round at the Jose Carlos Pace circuit in what proved to be a pretty tough weekend for the team. There were ten points yesterday with a third place for Charles and a fifth for Carlos. Then, at the end of a very demanding Sunday, which began at dawn with qualifying, came a further ten points courtesy of the Monegasque's hard fought fifth place. It was a day to forget for Carlos Sainz, who crashed into the barriers both in Q2 this morning and again on lap 39 of the race, when fighting for position outside the points. It means the Maranello squad is still second, now 36 points behind the leaders McLaren in the Constructors'.
Switching qualifying to this morning called for an unusual timetable, with the team up before dawn, leaving the hotel to be ready to take to the track for Q1 at 7.30. Unfortunately, it soon became clear that the SF-24's pace on both Wets and Intermediates was not a match for its rivals. Charles qualified sixth, while Carlos crashed at turn 3 in Q2, causing substantial damage to his car. The mechanics did a brilliant job of getting it repaired in the short time available, also fitting a new Power Unit and gearbox, thus opting for a pit lane start.
Off the line, Charles managed to pass Liam Lawson to go fifth, but once again the SF-24's pace on Intermediates meant he was unable to attack as hard as he would have liked. He was stuck behind Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon, so he made his stop first, on lap 24 to try to be able to run in clean air. Unfortunately, he rejoined in traffic and thus dropped to seventh just as the Safety Car was deployed because of the intensity of the rain, before it was red flagged following Franco Colapinto's crash. From the pit lane, Carlos was soon up to 13th, but from then on, he suffered from the same difficulties as his team-mate on the Intermediates. After which, his race ended in the worst possible way, after he lost control of the SF-24, crashing into the barriers at turn 8 on lap 39, while he had been fighting with Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton for a points finish.
Carlos' incident brought out the Safety Car and after the restart, Leclerc excelled himself, attacking both Lando Norris and George Russell at turn 1, going up to fourth behind the leading trio of Max Verstappen and the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. However, after that, Charles again lacked pace and Russell in the Mercedes claimed back fourth place. Towards the end, Leclerc felt more comfortable with the car and fended off Norris in the McLaren, fighting tooth and nail, and as the track condition improved, pulled away to bring home the ten points for fifth place.
Overnight and tomorrow, the team heads back to Maranello to begin preparing for the final three races of the season, once again in the form of a triple-header, with the Drivers' and Constructors' titles yet to be decided.
Fred Vasseur: We have mixed feelings today as we were able to limit the damage in our fight with McLaren, but on the other hand, we should have also scored points with Carlos, not just with Charles.
With both drivers the timing of pit stops was not the best but in general we struggled a lot with the pace and in getting the tyres to the right temperatures after every restart. At the final restart, Charles did very well to get ahead of Lando (Norris) and George (Russell) but the Mercedes was able to get past again and Charles had to defend from Lando. As the stint progressed his tyres were performing better and he was able to bring home a P5.
This weekend was a difficult one but looking at this triple-header as a whole, we are still the team that has scored the most points which is a good way to go into the final three races of the season. We will do our best to keep the fight open all the way to Abu Dhabi.
Andrea Stella - Team Principal: "It's been an eventful day in São Paulo, which is not surprising given the variable conditions. Congratulations to Max, who made an impressive recovery from the back of the grid, and also to Alpine for a double-podium finish.
"Circumstances didn't play-out in our favour today. The timing of the Red Flag in particular, after we'd changed tyres, was unfortunate. It was difficult to make progress today, for both Lando and Oscar. We didn't give them a car that had enough pace to overtake in a race without the DRS being activated. Unfortunately, we also picked up a penalty when Oscar made contact with Liam Lawson, which cost us a position at the end of the race.
"Overall, however, we come out of this weekend having increased our margin in the Constructors' Championship. It's an incredibly tough competition this year, so I really want to praise the work of Lando and Oscar today, for staying on track, finishing the race, and allowing us to outscore our nearest rivals. Also, to everyone back in Woking for delivering the upgrades and updates over the last three races, and a big thank you to all the team for their efforts and the great work in this busy triple header.
"There's learning to take onboard for today, and we'll do that in the days ahead. Our focus now shifts to the final three races of the season."
Mike Krack, Team Principal: "A trip to a special motorsport venue but a weekend to forget for our team. A point-less and brutal triple-header which takes its toll on the team working trackside and back at the AMRTC.
"Looking for the positives it was a Herculean effort by both car crews, with a reduced schedule, to get both cars onto the grid just in time today. Also a special mention for the FIA and F1 for being pragmatic and flexible with the schedule to allow the drivers and teams to put on a show for the passionate South American fans.
"On the formation lap, there seemed to be an issue with Lance's car under braking, he managed to get going but the AMR24 got beached in the heavy gravel bringing his day to a premature end. We will need to fully investigate what happened but it was unexpected.
"Fernando was in the points for most of the race but also locked the rears and was shuffled down to the back of the pack. He was in a lot of discomfort at the end of the race with the bumpy track so our priority is to make sure he is OK.
"Following our recent run of form, we have to take responsibility for not giving Lance and Fernando the car they deserve. They are being very patient but we are asking too much from them at the moment."
Oliver Oakes, Team Principal: "What a way to end the triple-header with a double podium for the team. Even more so after the early alarm call this morning after the rain delay yesterday! Both drivers were faultless today in difficult conditions, not putting a wheel wrong all day. On top of the points in the Sprint race yesterday, it's been a great weekend for the whole team in all conditions and a real credit to everyone across Enstone and Viry for their hard work these past two months to bring performance to the track. This gives us some momentum that we must use to finish the season strongly."
James Vowles, Team Principal: The nature of Formula 1 is that you can have some of the most incredible feelings and results, as well as some of the lowest moments that you can feel within a sport. I think it's fair to say this weekend is the second of those two. We've had three incredibly large crashes in just a few hours from one another and have a tremendous amount of work to get ourselves back on top of our spares situation before we go to Las Vegas in just a few weeks' time.
Our rivals, Alpine, were quick in the race. No doubt about it. They deserved those positions, but they scored a huge bag of points putting them back up into a very high Championship position and demoting us back down to 9th. I never give up until it's time to give up and that won't be until we're in Abu Dhabi and the checkered flag has dropped. We have two fast drivers, and we have a fast car underneath us.
We must go to every single one of these weekends now and deliver everything possible, whilst making sure we are still looking ahead towards 2025 and 2026 because that, as I've said all along, is where our goal is truly set. It's all about getting the foundations right as we go towards that 26' region. That doesn't make today any less painful. Far from it, I'm hurting right now. But actually, I wanted to watch that race to the finish to make sure I remember today because this isn't what I want us to be feeling in the future.
Jody Egginton (Technical Director): "The day started well with both drivers qualifying in the top five, demonstrating strong performances on both the wet and inter tyres. We were set up for a strong race. The first phase of the race was going well, with Yuki running strongly in P3, and Liam also delivering a solid opening stint running in P7. With the rain increasing and track conditions worsening, both cars moved to the wet tyre. The two Alpines stayed out, taking track position, which they maintained with the red flag. Our pace at the restart wasn't as strong as we needed to keep up with the cars ahead. Yuki came home P7, and Liam finished P9, spending many laps defending from Hamilton and Perez. It's good to score points with both cars, however, seeing what Alpine achieved from the race, we're left frustrated as there was potential for more points. We'll go away and review the race and drivers' feedback to determine what we could've done differently so we're ready for Las Vegas."
Laurent Mekies (Team Principal): "We had an amazing qualifying this morning. It was an incredible job from the drivers and Team where we were consistently topping the timesheets throughout qualifying. The strong performance is a testament to the hard work that everyone is doing.
"The race was a rollercoaster. We knew it was going to be tricky and dependent on the weather conditions. We were in a very strong position in the first half of the race, with Yuki holding onto P3 with incredible pace alongside Liam defending amazingly. Our race was affected when the red flag came out however; it diminished both drivers' advantage, but that's part of racing in these conditions. We came away with eight points, which is a great result. Congratulations to Max on a brilliant drive and well done to Alpine, even if the points they scored today will make for an even closer fight for us over the final three races. It's still very close, and we had a fast car this weekend. We now have 19 days before the final triple-header of the season, and we will be working flat out at home to build on the upturn in performance we have seen in the past two races and extract every second from the car. We'll be fighting hard in Las Vegas."
Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber faced a difficult day as Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu took on challenging conditions at the Brazilian Grand Prix. In a revised timetable that saw both qualifying and the race on the same day, there was plenty of drama on offer. The qualifying session had its share of red flags, with Valtteri performing well to set the 11th time and Zhou recording the 20th time. The race, ran under rainy conditions for most of its duration, brought more hurdles with several retirements and tricky weather, with Valtteri finishing in P13 and Zhou coming home in P15.
With the triple header in the Americas now behind us, the team will regroup and get ready for the final three races of the season in Las Vegas, Doha and Abu Dhabi, as we aim to come back stronger for the season finale.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "Yesterday's heavy rain - which forced Formula One to revise the timetable, changed our Sunday routine and eventually delivered a day that left us with mixed feelings. We had a very positive qualifying session, with Valtteri just 0.008 seconds away from Q3 and showing strong competitiveness in the midfield. However, the race was extremely disappointing for all of us. Valtteri lost a few positions at the start and struggled to maintain the pace for points. Zhou's day was challenging from the start, finishing last in qualifying and concluding the race in P15. Despite the disappointment and bitter taste left by the race results, we saw some positive signs in qualifying, which we believe are due to small improvements in our package. The next two weeks will be therefore crucial for us to bring further upgrades for the last triple-header and to regroup. We do need to analyse every detail and return to the track with the right mindset to conclude the season with strong determination, a mindset to fight for points."
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team finished with Oliver Bearman 12th, while Nico Hulkenberg was disqualified from the São Paulo Grand Prix, Round 21 of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, held Sunday at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Bearman took the start from 15th on Pirelli Cinturato Green intermediate tires, having moved up two grid spots due to penalties for Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. The Brit progressed to P13 on the opening lap but spun through turn seven on lap four, dropping to P17, though swiftly re-joined and gradually made his way forward prior to pitting on lap 28 for intermediates. The race was suspended on lap 32 due to an accident for Franco Colapinto, and Bearman took the restart from 15th, and was chasing Sainz when he spun at turn seven. He was able to continue and close the gap to the pack after a safety car period for Sainz's accident and moved up to 12th at the restart. Bearman preserved the position through to the checkered flag on lap 69.
Hulkenberg launched from 18th, gaining one spot due to Sainz's penalty, and also started on intermediate tires. He moved up to P15 on the opening lap of the race, and picked his way through the lower end of the midfield to climb into the top 10. The German came in on lap 25 for another set of intermediate tires but spun on lap 27 at turn 1, though was able to re-join the action. However, he received outside assistance from the marshals in doing so, and was consequently issued the black flag on lap 32, bringing his race to a premature conclusion.
Qualifying took place earlier on Sunday morning, having been postponed from Saturday afternoon due to the weather conditions. Bearman and Hulkenberg both took to the track on Blue extreme wet tires but were unable to progress from Q1 - Bearman posting a 1:31.229s to take P17 in his first Formula 1 session in wet conditions, with Hulkenberg logging a 1:31.632s to finish P19.
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "It's been a very tough day for the team, we didn't perform today, and others scored heavily. Operationally, we didn't maximize everything here so that's something we need to take home and review. A slight positive was that Ollie's pace on inters - and part of the race with Nico - was actually better than what we thought we could achieve, so that's a small positive that we can improve the performance of the intermediates. We have to look ahead for the last three races; we have decent pace in the dry, so we need to reset and refocus. We need to get the best out of the car and everyone for the next three."
Max Verstappen took one of the best wins of his career today, going from 17th on the grid to first at the chequered flag. It is the Dutchman's 62nd win, his first since 23rd June when he won the Spanish Grand Prix. It's his eighth of the season, as it is for his Red Bull team, whose total is now 121, with eight of those coming at the Interlagos circuit.
Also on the podium were both Alpine drivers, with Esteban Ocon second and Pierre Gasly third. The last time two Frenchman finished in the top three was at the 1997 Spanish Grand Prix when Olivier Panis (Prost-Mugen Honda) was second and Jean Alesi (Benetton-Renault) was third, preceded by another French speaker, Jacques Villeneuve (Williams-Renault).
Track action began at 7.30 with qualifying, put back from yesterday because of the adverse weather conditions. Once again today, the rain played its part, with no drivers able to use dry weather tyres. The extreme wet featured in the first part of qualifying, before the Intermediate came into play. There were no fewer than five interruptions caused by drivers crashing, in a session that therefore lasted almost an hour and 45 minutes, with the rain varying in intensity several times.
The race was rescheduled to start at 12.30 and apart from it being red flagged towards the halfway mark because of heavy rain reducing visibility to a precarious degree, it went ahead with just a few Safety Car appearances. Over the 69 laps (the race distance was reduced by two laps due to the two aborted start procedures) the Intermediate did the lion's share of the work. Only five drivers - Perez, Lawson, Tsunoda, Zhou and Hulkenberg - also used the Extreme when the rain got heavier, but then the red flag reset everything, and for the restart the Intermediate was clearly best suited to the track conditions. There were 33 tyre changes, including those under the red flag and a total of 51 sets were used, five of them for extreme wets. Of the drivers who finished the race, only four used two sets of Intermediates, namely Valtteri Bottas and the three drivers who finished on the podium.
Following a similar event at the Imola Grand Prix, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix provided another opportunity to remember Ayrton Senna in the thirtieth anniversary year of his tragic death. Pirelli contributed by producing a special edition of the Pole Position Award, presented to Lando Norris by Ayrton's niece, Bianca Senna, the director of the eponymous institute, as well as a special version of the iconic Podium Cap. Both items featured the gold and green colours of the Brazilian flag, along with the Senna logo. Bianca is the daughter of the three-times world champion's sister, Viviane, who founded the non-profit organisation that has been involved in supporting educational projects for Brazilian children and teenagers for the past thirty years.
Mario Isola: "What can I say, that was a really busy Sunday! It's true it has happened before that we have had qualifying and the race on the same day, even in this period since Pirelli has been the Global Tyre Supplier to Formula 1. But never before has it taken place so early in the day and in such a compressed time format, with many of the Formula 1 family hearing their alarm clocks going off well before dawn! I feel we should applaud all those who made it possible to ensure that the entire weekend programme was completed, despite the weather complicating matters since yesterday afternoon.
"There was an extraordinary crowd of almost three hundred thousand spectators at Interlagos and I'm sure that they and all those watching on television and on the various social platforms were rewarded with a very exciting show, both in qualifying and the race. They would have experienced a whole range of emotions, which is often the case when rain come along to lower adhesion while highlighting the skills of the drivers. From a technical point of view, we leave Interlagos having picked up plenty of useful information.
"In today's qualifying we saw both the extreme wet and intermediate tyres at work and could therefore clearly verify their operating windows. In the race, there was a point when one could have made a direct comparison between the two types of tyre over a long stint, but in fact the neutralisation caused when visibility was deemed too poor, meant we only saw this for a handful of laps. One should also bear in mind that the rain varied in intensity several times and on a brand-new track surface, the grip levels in the wet were very limited, partly due to the oily layer that it created. All things considered, I believe both tyres proved to be up to the job in hand."
