Valtteri Bottas won the Formula 1 sprint in Brazil
Amanda Perobelli, Reuters
Defending champion Lewis Hamilton showed a big chase, who dropped from first place at the start to the last position due to disqualification. The seven-time world champion finally finished fifth today.
However, after the penalty for unauthorized engine replacement, he will be in tenth place at the start. For Hamilton, this means a complication in the fight for the eighth title, which would bounce back Michael Schumacher at the head of the historical order.
After the disqualification, Hamilton will start the sprint in Brazil from the last place
If he loses 24 or more points to the leader Verstappen in the second place after the Grand Prix of Brazil, he will no longer have the defense in his own hands, because then he may not even have enough victory in the three remaining races.
“I had no idea where I could move, so I didn’t set any goals. The punishment hit me, but you have to accept it and move on. I quickly threw it behind my head and thought about what I had to do,” Hamilton said.
“I tried to get as high as possible at once, I started to overtake everyone. You must never give up, you still have to fight. But it was difficult,” said the 36-year-old British pilot.
Bottas started from second place, but right after the start he got in front of Verstappen and kept the lead until the end. He defeated the championship leader by 1.1 seconds and won the second of three premier sprints of the season. The Finnish pilot followed the triumph from Monza, winning the Verstappen in Silverstone.
| Brazilian Grand Prix, Formula 1 World Championship in Sao Paulo – sprint: |
| 1. Bottas (Fin./Mercedes) 29:09.559 |
| 2. Verstappen (Niz./Red Bull) -1,170 |
| 3. Sainz (Šp./Ferrari) -18,723 |
| 4. Pérez (Mex./Red Bull) -19,787 |
| 5. Hamilton (Brit./Mercedes) -20,872 |
| 6. Norris (Brit./McLaren) -22,558 |
| 7. Leclerc (Mon./Ferrari) -25,056 |
| 8. Gasly (Fr./Alpha Tauri) -34,158 |
| 9. Ocon (Fr./Alpine) -34,632 |
| 10. Vettel (Germany / Aston Martin) -34,867 |
| Note.: Hamilton starts from 10th place after changing the engine. |
| MS standings: |
| 1. Verstappen 314,5 b. |
| 2. Hamilton 293,5 |
| 3. Bottas 188 |
| 4. Pérez 165 |
| 5. Norris 150 |
| 6. Leclerc 138 |
| 7. Sainz 131,5 |
| 8. Ricciardo (Austr./McLaren) 105 |
| 9. Gasly 86 |
| 10. Alonso (Šp./Alpine) 60. |
| Constructors’ Cup: |
| 1. Mercedes 481,5 |
| 2. Red Bull 479,5 |
| 3. Ferrari 269,5 |
| 4. McLaren 255 |
| 5. Alpine 106 |
| 6. Alpha Tauri 106 |
| 7. Aston Martin 68 |
| 8. Williams 23 |
| 9. Alfa Romeo 11. |
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