F1 Brazilian GP Live Commentary and Updates - Sprint race
Minute-by-minute updates for the sprint race for the 2024 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri starts the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren 1-2 after beating team-mate Lando Norris in Friday’s sprint qualifying.
Championship leader Max Verstappen starts from fourth place for Red Bull, just behind Charles Leclerc in third for Ferrari, while both Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll start from the pitlane after making set-up changes in parc ferme. Zhou Guanyu also starts from the pitlane for Sauber.
The Brazilian GP sprint race starts at 2pm GMT.
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Piastri covers off Norris to keep the lead, while Verstapapen dives by Leclerc into the first corner but cannot make the move stick through the Esses so stays fourth.
Piastri brings the grid around the final corner to line up for the start, here we go...
Piastri leads away the pack for the formation lap. On closer inspection it looks like none of the top six have brand new mediums, but Gasly and Lawson do have shiny yellow-walled tyres.
Tyres: Every driver is starting on the medium compound rubber.
Verstappen has won the last six sprint races, including all the sprints so far this season, but this one looks like his toughest yet. What bearing could this sprint have on the title fight?
The temperatures are creeping up with just under 10 minutes until lights out, with the air temp up to 28C and the track already at 46C. In practice the track temperature was about 10 degrees higher, while by the end of qualifying it was 10 degrees lower than it is now. There is just a 10% chance of rain - the wet stuff is more likely to emerge for grand prix qualifying later.
Watch: Why Interlagos Is a Major Challenge for F1 Teams in 2024 - Brazil GP Friday Reaction
One of the main talking points has been the resurfaced Interlagos track which has made it more bumpy and the degradation is higher than before - with Albon calling it like "sandpaper". No wonder an Aussie is on pole position...
Anyway, here's how the strategy is shaping up for both the sprint and the grand prix.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
So, here's the sprint grid order in full: 1. Piastri 2. Norris 3. Leclerc 4. Verstappen 5. Sainz 6. Russell 7. Gasly 8. Lawson 9. Albon 10. Bearman 11. Hamilton 12. Hulkenberg 13. Perez 14. Colapinto 15. Bottas 16. Ocon 17. Tsunoda Pitlane: Alonso, Stroll, Zhou
The pitlane is closed and we have 17 drivers on the grid. That's because three, yes three, are starting from the pitlane: both Aston Martin drivers Alonso and Stroll who are literally treating the sprint like a test session, plus Sauber's Zhou. If anyone is interested, Alonso will led that trio from Stroll and Zhou by virtue of their original qualifying order.
Meanwhile, Magnussen has been ruled out of the entire Brazilian GP weekend by illness so Bearman gets his third call-up of the season. The Haas super-sub impressed by making it into the final stage of qualifying, but lost his lap for track limits so qualified 10th.
If you weren't with us yesterday, let's get you up to speed. Piastri grabbed pole for the sprint race by 0.029s from team-mate Norris, with Verstappen taking fourth. The Australian driver has already said he'll play the team game to help Norris in his title bid, but we'll see how all that plays out over the next 24 laps.
Sprint Pole man Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, arrives in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Hello one and all! It is sprint race Saturday in Sao Paulo! The F1 drivers are on their way to the grid, so let's get this thing going shall we?
By: Haydn Cobb
