Cloudy. Dry. Air +28…29С, highway +50…48С
Saturday’s sprint weekend at Interlagos was the fifth of the season and the second after Austin in a series of three Grands Prix in a row. At the end of the season, every point counted.
On Friday, everyone didn’t like the new asphalt of the Brazilian circuit; the tires had to be put into working mode for a long time, during which time they managed to lose their efficiency. The weather forecast promised a high chance of rain, but so far all sessions have been held on dry asphalt.
Lando Norris showed the best time during training on Friday; his teammate Oscar Piastri won the sprint qualification. The McLaren drivers started from the front row, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen from the second row, Carlos Sainz and George Russell from the third row. Alonso, Stroll and Zhou started the race from the pit lane due to a closed park violation.
Pirelli brought softer compounds to the podium than a year ago: C3, C4 and C5 with the designation Hard, Medium and Soft. In the sprint everyone started on Medium.
Piastri retained the lead at the start. Hulkenberg won three positions, Hamilton lost three.
Top ten in round 2: Piastri – Norris – Leclerc – Verstappen – Sainz – Russell – Gasly – Lawson – Hulkenberg – Berman.
Verstappen attacked Leclerc several times, Charles fought back.
Perez passed Berman and Lawson on lap 15 for ninth place. Zhou defeated Stroll for 19th place.
On lap 19, Verstappen overtook Leclerc for third place. Albon beat Berman for 10th place.
On lap 20, Hamilton overtook Hulkenberg and moved up to 12th.
Top ten in round 20: Piastri – Norris – Verstappen – Leclerc – Sainz – Russell – Gasly – Lawson – Perez – Albon.
On lap 21, Perez passed Lawson for eighth place.
On lap 22, Piastri slowed down and allowed Norris to pass at the team’s request. Lando thanked his partner over the radio.
Hulkenberg’s car stopped in the second sector, Nico fell out of the battle. A virtual safety car mode has been announced.
On the last lap the drivers were allowed to attack, Verstappen put Piastri under pressure, but Oscar kept his position.
Lando Norris finished first and won the sprint for the first time in his career. Oscar Piastri finished the sprint in second with a lead of six tenths.
After the session, the stewards penalized Max Verstappen with a five-second extension for breaching the safety car rules; he dropped to fourth and Leclerc moved up to third.
Sprint results
| Pilot | Team | Time | Speed | Pete |
| 1. L.Norris | McLaren | 29:46.045 | 208,327 | 0 |
| 2. O. Piastri | McLaren | +0.593 | 208,257 | 0 |
| 3. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | +5,656 | 207,669 | 0 |
| 4. M.Verstappen* | Red Bull | +6,497 | 208,152 | 0 |
| 5. K. Sainz | Ferrari | +7,224 | 207,487 | 0 |
| 6. D. Russell | Mercedes | +12,475 | 206,882 | 0 |
| 7. P. Gasly | Alps | +18.161 | 206,230 | 0 |
| 8. C. Perez | Red Bull | +18.717 | 206,166 | 0 |
| 9. L. Lawson | RB | +20,773 | 205,931 | 0 |
| 10. A. Albon | Williams | +24.606 | 205,496 | 0 |
| 11. L.Hamilton | Mercedes | +29.764 | 204,912 | 0 |
| 12. F. Colapinto | Williams | +33.233 | 204,521 | 0 |
| 13. E. Okon | Alps | +34.128 | 204,421 | 0 |
| 14. O. Berman | Hare | +35.507 | 204,266 | 0 |
| 15. Yu.Tsunoda | RB | +41.374 | 203,610 | 0 |
| 16. V. Bottas | Sauber | +43.231 | 203,403 | 0 |
| 17. G.Zhou | Sauber | +54.139 | 202,198 | 0 |
| 18. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | +56.537 | 201,934 | 0 |
| 19. L. Walk | Aston Martin | +57.983 | 201,776 | 0 |
* Max Verstappen receives a 5-second penalty for violating the virtual safety car
Best round: Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) – 1:11.678 (24 laps, 216.417 km/h)
Reasons for the meetings
| Pilot | Team | Kroogov | Cause |
| N. Hulkenberg | Haas F1 | 18 | mechanical problem |
Championship Position: Individual Competition
Championship position: Constructors’ Championship
| Team | Engine | Glasses | |
| = | 1. McLaren F1 Team | Mercedes | 581 |
| = | 2. Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | 547 |
| = | 3. Oracle Red Bull Racing | Honda RBPT | 518 |
| = | 4. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team | Mercedes | 369 |
| = | 5. Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | Mercedes | 86 |
| = | 6. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | Ferrari | 46 |
| = | 7. Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | Honda RBPT | 36 |
| = | 8. Williams Racing | Mercedes | 17 |
| = | 9. BWT Alpine F1 team | Renault | 16 |
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
