George Russell takes the first F1 victory of his career in the thrilling Sao Paulo Sprint GP; Max Verstappen finishes fourth after the collision with Carlos Sainz; watch the Sao Paulo GP live on Sky Sports F1 on Sunday at 6pm, with build-up starting at 4.30pm
By Sam Johnston in Sao Paulo
Last update: 12/11/22 20:48
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George Russell finally wrests the lead from Max Verstappen in the sprint race at the Sao Paulo GP.
George Russell finally wrests the lead from Max Verstappen in the sprint race at the Sao Paulo GP.
George Russell triumphed in a thrilling sprint to lead a front-row closing Mercedes for Sunday’s São Paulo Grand Prix, while world champion Max Verstappen struggled to fourth after a collision with Carlos Sainz .
Verstappen took the lead from pole-sitter Kevin Magnussen in the early stages as Haas quickly fell back, but Russell, who started third for Mercedes, had too much pace for Red Bull and force into the lead on lap 15 early. achieving the first victory of his career.
Verstappen, who was one of only two cars not to start the race on soft tyres, then suffered damage when overtaken by Carlos Sainz for second, allowing Lewis Hamilton to overtake the Dutchman a lap later to take third place.
With Sainz facing a five-place grid penalty for taking a new engine this weekend, Mercedes are set to lock down the front row for Sunday’s race.
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George Russell beats Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton to win the Sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
George Russell beats Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton to win the Sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
However, Hamilton, along with Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu, is under investigation for a grid infringement at the start, and could still be penalised.
Sergio Perez came home behind his Red Bull-team Verstappen in fifth place, with his rival for second in the Drivers’ Championship Charles Leclerc a place further back in sixth.
Lando Norris, who started fourth, overcame his struggles with illness to finish seventh, while Magnussen took the final point in eighth.
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Max Verstappen endures a difficult sprint race at the Sao Paulo GP as both Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton pass him.
Max Verstappen endures a difficult sprint race at the Sao Paulo GP as both Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton pass him.
The win is the first of Russell’s F1 career and the first of the season for Mercedes, who will look to add a first long-running win to their 2022 testing campaign on Sunday.
The Briton takes eight points to win the 24-lap race, with the reward for the top eight dropping by one point per position.
More to follow…
Sao Paulo GP Sprint Result: Top 101) George Russell, Mercedes (8 points) 2) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari* (7 points) 3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes (6 points) 4) Max Verstappen, Red Bull (5 points) )5 ) Sergio Pérez, Red Bull (4 points)6) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (3 points)7) Lando Norris, McLaren (2 points)8) Kevin Magnussen, Haas (1 point)9) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin10) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
* faces a five-place grid penalty after taking a new engine