The São Paulo Grand Prix, contested in these difficult conditions, saw Max Verstappen win in a chaotic race ahead of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
When it was time to set up on the starting grid, it wasn't raining! On the other hand, the risk of rain is predicted to be 100% during the race, probably for a period of around 20 minutes around lap 15. It is 23°C in the air and 29°C on the ground. On this grid, there will only be 18 single-seaters. Alex Albon is out, Williams failed to repair the car, Carlos Sainz will start from the pit lane.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix
All the drivers will start on Intermediate tires, and it will be a standing start, in the formation lap Lance Stroll went out at turn 4 with the rear wheels blocked. Unfortunately the Canadian tries to get back on the track but gets stuck in a gravel trap, the starting procedure is aborted, a new formation lap is ordered. A crane is sent to extract Stroll's Aston Martin. When the cars come to reposition themselves on the grid, the start sequence is aborted, the mechanics rush towards the cars. Race management opens an investigation into Lando Norris for a start procedure violation during the second formation lap. The second procedure is scheduled for 12:47 p.m. (4:47 p.m. in France), with a new training round ordered where Lando Norris reports that it is starting to rain. When the lights go out, the start is givenwith a good start from Russell who immediately overtakes Norris to take control of the race. Verstappen is already 11th after the first lap, while Pérez spun as the rain intensified.
At the start of lap 2, Verstappen attacks Hamilton at the first corner to take 10th place, Russell who does not suffer from the spray of water takes the opportunity to set the best time and escapes by 1.7″ on Norris , while Sainz obviously announces intense rain from now on, Russell continues a second lap in the race, but Norris responds immediately. The Top 10 classification on lap 4: Russell, Norris, Tsunoda, Ocon, Leclerc, Lawson, Piastri, Alonso, Gasly and Verstappen. On lap 4, Norris again set the fastest lap in the race and closed to within 1 second of Russell. At the start of lap 5, Verstappen dived on the inside of turn 1 to gain 9th place from Gasly. It is now Verstappen who has overtaken Alonso who takes the fastest lap in the race.
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Oliver Bearman receives a 10-second penalty for contact with Franco Colapinto. At the start of lap 10, Verstappen dives at turn 1 on Piastri, the Dutchman is now 7th. Verstappen continues with a lap record in the race and rushes towards Liam Lawson on whom he will not have much difficulty in overtaking him. Hamilton made an off-track excursion in the 3rd sector, he managed to get back on the track but was under direct threat from Franco Colapinto who overtook him in Senna's esses. A 3-way fight emerges between Verstappen in the exhausts of Leclerc, the Monegasque also trying to surprise Ocon.
The Top 10 ranking in round 17: Russell, Norris, Tsunoda, Ocon, Leclerc, Verstappen, Lawson, Piastri, Gasly and Alonso. The rain intensifies again, as Norris returns in Russell's wake. Lewis Hamilton makes another mistake in sector 3, Sainz and Bearman take advantage. Leclerc is still under pressure from Verstappen, Ocon is now threatening Tsunoda, the Japanese is almost 10 seconds behind the leading duo. Leclerc returned to the pits at the end of lap 24 to change his tires, new Intermediates for the Ferrari driver. Hülkenberg also made a save, while Lawson spun under pressure from Piastri. At McLaren we motivate Norris to attack Russell.
Hülkenberg, who had just stopped in the pits, was stopped in sector 1, stuck on a curb, Ocon managed to take 3rd place from Tsunoda, the race management deployed the Virtual Safety Car while Piastri returns to the pits to change his tires, just like Alonso, Hamilton,; Bearman, Pérez and Sainz. The Mexican is the only one to have worn the Wet (blue). Russell and Norris returned to the pits, one lap later, as the VSC ended, Ocon took the lead in the race. The Top 10 ranking on round 29: Ocon, Verstappen, Gasly, Russell, Norris, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Piastri, Alonso et Bottas. Piastri receives a 10-second penalty for sending Lawson into a spin. Tsunoda, Lawson and Pérez are on Full Wet tires.
Norris found the opening on Russell, while the Safety Car takes the trail. But under this neutralization, Franco Colapinto loses the Williams and smashes it into the wall, the Argentinian is fine, but it's the Red flag ! This will allow drivers who have not changed their tires to do so without wasting time. The Top 10 ranking at round 33: Ocon, Verstappen, Gasly, Norris, Russell, Tsunoda, Leclerc, Piastri, Alonso and Lawson.
The race will resume at 2:02 p.m. (6:02 p.m. in France). there will be a formation lap behind the Safety Car which ends with a rolling start procedure. while at the back of the peloton, Bearman got out on the grass in the last sector. Ocon maintains his leading position, Norris makes a mistake at turn 4, which allows Russell to regain his lead. Leclerc in turn almost lost a position against Piastri. In the lead, Ocon escaped with a 1″5 lead over Verstappen and even almost 2″7 at the end of lap 35. Bearman once again suffered a pirouette in sector 2, hitting the Tecpro but managing to regain the track. Carlos Sainz goes out in sector 1, damaging his Ferrari for the count even though the Spaniard thought he could restart his rear wing is broken just like his right rear suspension, this triggers a new Safety Car.
The Top 10 ranking on lap 42: Ocon, Verstappen, Gasly, Russell, Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Tsunoda, Hamilton et Alonso. At the end of the lap, the safety car will step aside to restart the race. Ocon manages the peloton but Verstappen manages to roll the Alpine into Senna's esses for the race lead, Norris shoots straight at the first corner, makes an excursion into the grass and loses two places in his misadventure. Alonso shoots straight into sector 3, Verstappen as leader can take the lead. Piastri, who was ahead of Norris, received orders from McLaren to let his teammate pass, which the Australian did.
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At the head of the race, Verstappen sets lap records in the race, he escapes with a 4″6 lead over Ocon's Alpine, the latter has a cushion of 3″4 over his teammate Gasly. Piastri made a small mistake in sector 3, which allowed Tsunoda to get back in the wake of the McLaren. Verstappen has more than 7 seconds on Ocon now. If he wins by starting from 17th place on the grid, it would only be a third time in the history of F1, after Detroit in 1982 won by John Watson on McLaren, and Kimi Räikkönen at the Grand 2005 Japan Prize on… McLaren.
Pérez tries to get the better of Lawson, but in Senna's esses the two cars touch, at turn 4 the Mexican is too wide, this benefits Lewis Hamilton who infiltrates to gain 10th place. Rain is forecast around lap 60. The Top 10 ranking on lap 57: Verstappen, Ocon, Gasly, Russell, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Tsunoda, Lawson and Hamilton. Verstappen in the lead, continues to improve the lap record in the race, he has more than 10 seconds ahead of Ocon, the Frenchman has 3″8 over his teammate.
Verstappen sets a series of lap records in the race, 1'20″472 for the Dutchman who is 17″5 ahead of Esteban Ocon's Alpine, who is still 3 seconds ahead of Gasly who is watching the Mercedes of Russell a second behind him. The last lap will not change anything, Verstappen is heading towards his 62nd Grand Prix victory, he has not won since the Spanish Grand Prix last June. The two Alpines are on the podium, Ocon is second, Gasly third. Russell, Leclerc, Norris, Tsunoda, Piastri, Lawson and Hamilton are in the points.
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