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Formula 1 Brazilian GP

F1 Brazilian GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day

Minute by minute updates for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos

By: Jake Boxall-Legge, Haydn Cobb, Tom Howard

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Summary
  • Mercedes Valtteri Bottas starts from pole after winning Saturday's sprint race. The Finn shares the front row with Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
  • Lewis Hamilton starts from 10th after a five-place grid penalty for an engine change which was implemented after finishing fifth in the sprint.
  • Verstappen leads Perez as Bottas runs wide at Turn 4. Hamilton up to P6 after the opening lap. Puncture for McLaren's Lando Norris after contact with Sainz's Ferrari at the start.
  • Tsunoda and Stroll clash at Turn 1. Tsunoda handed 10s penalty. Hamilton up to P3 on lap 6/71. Safety Car deployed for debris. 
  • Virtual Safety Car lap 12/71 for debris from Mick Schumacher's broken front wing.
  • Lap 19/71 Hamilton takes P2 from Perez for a second time but makes it stick this time. Verstappen leads.
  • Virtual Safety Car (debris) lap 30/71. Verstappen leads Hamilton after the first round of stops. Bottas jumps Perez for P3 by stopping under the VSC. 
  • Verstappen makes second stop for hard tyres on lap 40/71. Bottas follows on the next lap. Perez stops and then Hamilton dives in on lap 43/71. Verstappen leads Hamilton.
  • Hamilton passes Verstappen for the lead at Turn 4 on lap 59/71.
  • Hamilton takes an impressive win from Verstappen with Bottas completing the podium in third. Perez snatches the fastest lap point in fourth on final lap.
  • Leclerc, Sainz, Gasly, Ocon, Alonso and Norris completes the points after a great recovery drive.  
Leaderboard
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari 
6. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
7. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
8.  Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9. Fernando Alonso, Alpine
10. Lando Norris, McLaren
Checkered flag
And that's all from us - we'll be back next weekend for the first Qatar Grand Prix! We'll see you then!
Breaking news
Hope you've all got your breaths back after that one - here's the report for you: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/brazilian-f1-gp-race-report/6781932/
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"I tried everything I could - we were just not quick enough." Verstappen says.
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"Thank you so much for all the hard work - let's keep pushing!" says Hamilton, who collects a Brazilian flag. Lewis Hamilton do Brasiiiiiiiiiiiil?
 
Ocon and Alonso swapped places on the last lap for, uh, some reason.
Leclerc leads Sainz home for a Ferrari 5-6, with Gasly beating Ocon, Alonso and Norris.
Stopwatch
Perez does indeed grab the fastest lap, a 1m11.010s. As binary as you like.
Max Verstappen finishes in second, 10.4s behind, with Bottas completing the podium places.
Checkered flag
Starting from 10th, Lewis Hamilton wins the Sao Paulo Grand Prix!
It's the final lap now, and Hamilton's doing his last tour in an absolutely stellar weekend - carving his way through the field in both races.
Pit stop
Perez does indeed come in for his expected stop, taking on the softs.
The gaps up and down the running order have well and truly spread out so barring any late dramas, that's your lot.
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"Where's Valtteri?" Hamilton asks. "He's in P3," comes the reply, which Hamilton congratulates the team for.
Three to go - lead now at 7.7s.
As of lap 68, Hamilton's built a 6.7s lead over Verstappen now. Bottas looks like he won't have the time to put Verstappen under pressure.
Gasly has cleared off ahead of the Alpine pair, 4.4s in front of Alonso, so barring a hellish end to this race that is seventh place for the AlphaTauri driver behind the Ferraris.
Perez has 32s over Leclerc, so surely he'll be pulling in a bit later for a tilt at the fastest lap point. We wonder if anybody will consider that "unsporting"...
It's all calmed down a bit now, that Hamilton/Verstappen battle kinda consumed us for a bit.
Hamilton's 3s clear of Verstappen now as of lap 64, showing the pace he's got in hand over the Red Bull.
A lap later it is double delight for Gasly, with the aid of DRS and fresher tyres he charges by Alonso on the sprint down the back straight to Turn 4 and grabs seventh. Super racing.
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"Valtteri, go get him!" Toto Wolff says to Bottas on the radio. He's a fair way behind Verstappen, he's got about 9s to make up in the final 10 laps.
Gasly and Ocon go oh-so-close to contact at Turn 1, but the AlphaTauri driver gets the move done under braking to grab eighth. Both have DRS on the charge to Turn 4 but Gasly defends well to keep the place.

Not to distract from the fight at the front, but there is an almighty tussle going on for seventh place. Alonso holds it, followed by Ocon and Gasly who both are in DRS range.

Verstappen, meanwhile, gets a black-and-white flag for weaving on the straights.
Hamilton make Verstappen stay to the inside of Turn 1, getting the overspeed on the exit of three and diving past the Red Bull driver!
But Hamilton's right with him at the start of lap 59, and he clears Verstappen just before the two make it into Turn 4!
Hamilton has another look at Verstappen at Turn 4, but just can't make the move work! A stout defence from the Red Bull once more.
So after that off-track incident, Hamilton's staying in DRS range - he's got 14 laps to make a move here.
Pit stop
Vettel pits for a second time in the race and drops to 11th to put Norris into the points.
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"Ron having looked it all complete, it was one of those, and had a good look at it, that's why we've gone for no investigation," Masi tells Mercedes' sporting director Ron Meadows.
McLaren on Ricciardo's DNF: "After suffering a loss of power on Daniel's car we've had to retire [him]."
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