F1 Brazil Grand Prix Review
As the laps closed down at the Interlagos circuit, George Russell fended off veteran teammate Lewis Hamilton for his maiden win while Red Bull teammates clashed in the back of the field.
As the race drew to a close, Hamilton remained in striking distance, trying to close the gap or hoping for a mistake from Russell. Along with his maiden win, the 24-year-old British driver claimed Mercedes’ first win of the season and first 1-2 finish for the manufacturer since 2020.
While Mercedes has not been as dominant this season with the W-13 car not panning out as they had planned, this race was definitely a step in the right direction, even if it was at the end of the season. On the other hand, Red Bull saw a complete demise in teamsmanship between drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
With the final lap steadily approaching, Verstappen was ordered by Red Bull to give Perez a spot to help his standing in the driver’s championship. This order would not have affected Verstappen in the slightest as he has the driver’s championship already locked up.
After the race, Perez did not hold back when asked about his teammate disobeying the orders.
“After all I’ve done for him, it is a bit disappointing, to be honest,” Perez said.
Perez now finds himself tied for second in the driver’s championship with Charles Leclerc due to Verstappen's in-race decisions. Leclerc currently holds the tiebreaker over Perez with his three wins on the season.
One of the surprises of the weekend that took a back seat to the usual drama was the sprint race. Kevin Magnussen scored the upset pole in a rainy qualifying session.
George Russell took the sprint race win which went on to set him up for his race win. The sprint race did not go without its drama though.
Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu were all investigated for potential start breaches though nothing came of it. The reasoning was that the start boxes are smaller and therefore did not give any driver an advantage.
However, a teammate dispute in the race did bring about action from the stewards. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon collided on the first lap, causing damage to both of their cars. Alonso received a 5-second penalty for his aggressive driving.
With Brazil in the rearview mirror, teams have already begun looking ahead to the final race of the year: Abu Dhabi. With Verstappen and Red Bull locking up the driver’s and manufacturers’ championships respectively, this race will have much lower stakes than last year. The main battle of that race is sure to be between Leclerc and Perez as they fight for that second place standing in the driver’s championship.
Ethan Ellis is a second-year student majoring in journalism. To contact him, please email ece5133@psu.edu.
