F1 Sao Paulo GP: George Russell leads Mercedes 1-2 after Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen clash
George Russell held off Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton to claim his first F1 victory in a dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix, after 2021 title rivals Hamilton and Max Verstappen came to blows.
Russell followed up winning the F1 sprint race on Saturday by converting pole position into his maiden grand prix win at Interlagos with a brilliantly managed drive.
The Briton expertly handled two Safety Car restarts and fended off a late charge from teammate Hamilton, who recovered from a collision with Verstappen to complete a Mercedes 1-2 and hand the eight-time constructors’ champions their first victory of a troubled 2022 campaign.
Russell was overcome with emotion as he crossed the line as the weight of his long-awaited achievement hit him, saying over team radio: “This is just the beginning, this is just the beginning. I’m so proud of all of you.”
Behind the Mercedes pair, Carlos Sainz claimed the final spot on the podium amid a late charge after pitting under the late Safety Car for softs, while Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who at one point was in the barriers after being tagged by Lando Norris’ McLaren, turned in a superb recovery to finish fourth.
Like Sainz, Fernando Alonso made the most of fresh soft tyres to battle his way up to a strong fifth for Alpine, ahead of Verstappen and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who faded from third to seventh on his older medium tyres.
World champion Verstappen was handed a five-second time penalty for colliding with Hamilton at the first Safety Car restart as the former title rivals made contact as they battled over second place.
Hamilton fell to eighth while Verstappen dropped to the back of the field, before recovering to sixth. The Dutchman also ignored a team order to allow Perez through on the last lap to help his teammate’s bid to claim second spot in the championship.
Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll completed the rest of the top-10 for Alpine, Alfa Romeo and Aston Martin respectively.
After his qualifying heroics, Kevin Magnussen was spun out of eighth place on the opening lap by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, with both drivers forced to retire on the spot, resulting in the first Safety Car.
They were joined by Norris on the sidelines, with the Briton enduring a miserable race on his 22nd birthday.
