Interlagos gave us a little bit of rain, a little bit of sun, and a brand new Grand Prix winner. For the first time since Austria there was a driver from a team other than Red Bull on the top step of the podium, but most eyes were focussed on the action away from the front of the grid, as this race was a real nail-biter. Want to know where your favourite driver ended up? Be sure to check out the latest report cards.
Top of the class:
Fernando Alonso – Qualifying: 7th | Sprint: 18th (demoted from 15th) | Race: 5th
Alpine very much considered the sprint on Saturday a low point in the season, with Alonso and Ocon coming to blows on two occasions, but Alonso more than made up for that on Sunday as he drove a superb recovery race. With a three-stop strategy they were a bit out of sync with the rest of the field, but this might have been a blessing, especially with their main rivals (McLaren) unable to finish the race.
A late charge saw Alonso pick up a P5 result and finish ahead of both Red Bull’s, which was a pretty decent recovery after what was a low point of the season on Saturday.
George Russell – Qualifying: 3rd | Sprint: 1st | Race: 1st
Does more need to be said than it being his first victory? Yes? Ah, alright. There probably wasn’t a single fan who wasn’t delighted with seeing George win, as this most definitely felt long overdue, particularly looking back on that Sakhir GP heartbreak in 2020. By taking victory, he’s the 113th person to do so in F1, and the 20th British driver to win a race in Formula 1.
Winning both the sprint and the race in one weekend is simply the cherry on top of this delightful cake. This moved him 25 points clear of teammate Lewis Hamilton in the standings.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing as a trip through the gravel in quali saw him beached and with a broken headrest, but that seems a distant memory now.
Kevin Magnussen – Qualifying: 1st | Sprint: 8th | Race: DNF
Whilst a DNF might not be something to write home about, earning your first pole position definitely is, especially in a Haas. Alright, admittedly, there was a little luck at play, with the rain making it impossible for anyone to set a faster time, but it was their call to go out first and set a fast time, which is definitely something both Kevin and the team deserve kudos for.
Despite the discrepancy in speed in relation to the other cars, Kevin managed to keep his car in the points during the sprint on Saturday, which is another feat the Dane deserves praise for as he keeps up his record of taking points in all three of the Satuday sprints in 2022. It’s just unfortunate that it all unravelled on Sunday, but considering he wasn’t to blame for the incident, it felt unfair to dock points for that on the report cards, which is why he kept hold of his place among the top oft he class.
Then for Honourable Mentions…
The first honourable mention of the day goes to Valtteri Bottas. The Finn looked to be set to finish 5th, but it was a late safety car which diminished the gap to his competitors behind and left him exposed, meaning that he ended up coming home 9th instead. Still, after a pointless run of 10 races, earning his second consecutive points finish certainly is a sign of things looking up.
The second honourable mention goes to Charles Leclerc, if you look beyond the final few radio messages, the Monegasque had an impressive recovery from being put in the wall by Lando Norris.
The Struggle Bus:
Max Verstappen – Qualifying: 2nd | Sprint: 4th | Race: 6th
The weekend began promising, but it really was all downhill from there. On Saturday he was one of two drivers on mediums rather than the softs, and it was a gamble which didn’t quite pay off. Perhaps Red Bull expected the softs to drop off quicker than they did, or perhaps they weren’t convinced of their pace in the first place and were aiming to save a set of softs for the race on Sunday. Whichever one it was, it meant that our two-time World Champion lost places instead of gaining them during the sprint.
Things certainly didn’t improve on the Sunday. Whilst squeezing through the Senna Esses with Hamilton, the two collided, which was something the Dutchman got penalised for with a 5-second penalty. That wasn’t the talking point of the day, however. Whilst battling his way up through the field, Max ended up right in front of his teammate Sergio Perez. Because his Championship is already in the bag and Checo is still battling it out with Charles Leclerc for that second-place position, Red Bull requested for the two drivers to swap.
Verstappen refused to obey teamorders, however, stating quite bluntly that he had explained his reasoning before. There seems to be more to the story, thinking back to Monaco qualifying for example, but considering Checo has helped Max on several occasions, it unsurprisingly felt like a snub, which resulted in both the Mexican and teamboss Christian Horner being quite vocal about their displeasure regarding the matter.
Mclaren
Daniel Ricciardo – Qualifying: 14th | Sprint: 11th | Race: DNF
Lando Norris – Qualifying: 4th | Sprint: 7th | Race: DNF
There is not much to say for Daniel’s seat on the struggle bus, this mainly because he managed to end his own (and Kevin’s) race so early. Whilst battling for 9th the Australian tagged the Danish driver into a spin at turn 8 on the first lap, who in turn rolled backwards into the Mclaren which ended up with both drivers in the barriers. Daniel earned himself a 3-place grid penalty for the incident, meaning he’ll have a tough start for his last race in Abu Dhabi.
Things weren’t smooth sailing on the other side of the Mclaren garage either, which you’ve probably been clued in on by the fact that McLaren had to swallow a double DNF.
Battling a severe bout of food poising and trying to celebrate his 23rd Birthday, Norris had a quick getaway during the start, but after the safety car (brought out by his teammate) went in for the restart, it was Norris who collided with Charles Leclerc. The Brit doesn’t believe that he was to blame for the incident, but he got awarded a 5-second penalty nonetheless.
Lando was running in the points until lap 58 when a hydraulic issue saw McLaren have their first double-DNF since Monaco 2017, and it couldn’t come at worse time.
Then for Dishonourable Mentions…
Whilst it might have been Max who kept Sergio Perez from earning more points, the fact that his teammate still managed to come out on top despite dropping so far back in the early stages of the race does say something about Sergio’s pace this weekend, or better said a lack thereof. Which is why the Mexican earns himself the first dishonourable mention of the day.
The second dishonourable mention goes to Lance Stroll, sure he got a point on Sunday but for the second time in three races, some wild defending saw him face the wrath of the stewards.
The only thing that could have made his defending worse on the run to Descida do Lago, was that it was against teammate Vettel which would have made for an awkward debrief on Saturday.
Next up is the last race of the calendar. Whilst it was the longest season the sport has ever seen, it still feels like it has gone by too quick for us fans. There are still some loose ends to be tied up, however, and you certainly wouldn’t want to miss Daniel’s, Seb’s and Nicholas’ last race, so be sure to sit at the ready for lights to go out in Abu Dhabi at 1pm on the 20th of November.
