Seven-time world champion Hamilton beat Verstappen despite starting 10th on the grid due to penalties – the second Hamilton to face in So Paulo this weekend.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton ended “the hardest weekend I’ve ever had” with a resounding victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, gaining his momentum formula one title fight With Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton beat Verstappen despite starting 10th on the grid due to penalties – the second Hamilton to face in So Paulo this weekend.
The winner of the previous edition of the race in 2019, Verstappen finished second and saw his lead in the Drivers’ Championship reduce to 14 points, with three races left. The winner of a race gets 25 points.
“Let’s push,” said Hamilton on team radio after his sixth win of the season. He carried the flag of Brazil in the car and on the podium to celebrate his victory, as did his idol Ayrton Senna.
Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas finished third and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez finished fourth, with the Mexican having the fastest lap of the race. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were fifth and sixth respectively.
Verstappen led most of the race after the first turn, when he overtook polesitter Bottas. But Hamilton, who moved from 10th to third in just six laps, overtook Verstappen on lap 59, putting a raucous crowd on his feet at Interlagos.
Hamilton finished the race with a 10-second advantage over Verstappen and said he felt like he had won his first race at Interlagos in front of a joyous crowd.
“I was pushing as hard as I could,” said an emotional Hamilton after his 101st win. “From the last time on the grid (for Saturday’s sprint race), and then another five-place penalty—I think it’s the hardest weekend for me. Things kept going against us, but it just shows, ever. Don’t give up, keep fighting. Never, ever stop fighting.”
Mercedes is now 11 points ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ standings.
Verstappen would leave Brazil 50,000 euros ($57,200) poor. He was fined after he was seen touching the back of Hamilton’s Mercedes on Friday.
“We were just missing out on a little bit of momentum, but we gave it our all and had fun,” the Dutchman said. “We still have a good point, the damage was a little off today. We will come back in the race to come.”
Red Bull head Christian Horner said Mercedes’ pace was “simply unstoppable.”
It has certainly been a weekend to remember for Hamilton, who was forced to start Saturday’s sprint race from last place – where he was fastest after being disqualified from Friday’s qualifying session – Due to a technical violation by Mercedes. Despite Hamilton’s fifth-place finish in the sprint race, a separate five-place penalty meant the defending champions started at 10 on Sunday when Mercedes decided to replace their car’s engine in So Paulo.
After the race ended Hamilton received another fine from the stewards – a 5,000 euro ($5,700) fine with an additional 20,000 euros ($23,000), which is suspended until the end of 2022, for finally removing his seat belt on the in-lap. to undo.
The organizers of Interlagos celebrated the series’ return to the traditional track, which would host the race for nine more years. More than 181,000 tickets were sold for the three days of action, with thousands of fans gathering in front of the stage – many of them unmasked despite health protocols.
Brazil was cut from the 2020 calendar due to restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic. The So Paulo Grand Prix, as it was named this year, was allowed to open to full capacity only weeks before the state government eased restrictions for November.
Many fans saw the race as a return to a more normal life, and they liked the eventual winner. Antonio Sequeira (45) had tears in his eyes when Hamilton drove straight by Interlagos with a Brazilian flag.
“Ayrton’s last title was 30 years ago, and it was very emotional to see the greatest driver of all time perform here and still honor our hero,” said Sequeira. “Today makes it official; There’s a Brazilian driver on the grid, and his name is Lewis.”
Hamilton won his first F1 title at Interlagos in 2008 with a fifth-place finish, placing him one point ahead of Brazil’s Felipe Massa.
Qatar will host the next race on 21 November, followed by Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
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