Brazilian Grand Prix review: Hamilton closes in on Verstappen
By Oli Dickson Jefford
In his 15th season in F1, Lewis Hamilton produced perhaps the greatest drive of his career in Brazil.
Everything had gone against the seven-time world champion in the early stages of the weekend, as he was forced to start at the back of the grid for sprint qualifying.
And even after his stunning performance in that, a five-place grid penalty meant he dropped from fifth to tenth for yesterday’s starting grid.
But that extra barrier was no issue, as he stormed up the field to seal one of his greatest victories - and keep his title hopes alive.
Hamilton closes in on title race
Momentum was definitely with Max Verstappen in the title battle, who had won the past two races and took a 21-point lead to the starting grid.
The Dutchman was fancied by many to win this weekend and started Sunday’s race well ahead of Hamilton in second place. He instantly took the lead from Valtteri Bottas but could not stay ahead of a charging Hamilton.
The weekend was not without controversy both on and off track, with Verstappen accused of deliberately forcing Hamilton off the track when the Brit went for a daring overtake.
And Verstappen himself was perhaps lucky to get away with only a fine after touching and seemingly examining Hamilton’s rear wing after sprint race qualifying on Friday.
Controversy aside, it was a remarkable weekend for Hamilton who showed just why he is arguably the greatest driver of all time.
Though he still trails Verstappen in the title race he has cut the gap to just 14 points, holding 318.5 points compared to Verstappen’s 332.5.
The cut in Verstappen’s lead will put the Dutchman under some pressure, and it will be interesting to see how he copes as he chases his first world title.
With the next races in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi on paper maybe favouring Mercedes, this could have been a decisive week in the title fight.
What else went on?
In general it was a strong weekend for Mercedes, with Bottas joining Hamilton on the podium with a third-place finish - with Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in fourth.
After Red Bull had cut Mercedes constructor’s championship lead to just one point following the Mexican Grand Prix, there’s now a little more breathing space for Mercedes with an 11-point gap.
In terms of the constructor’s championship it was also a good weekend for Ferrari as they extended their gap over McLaren in third place.
Another solid weekend for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz - who finished fifth and sixth respectively - was matched by another disappointing weekend for McLaren.
For the second race in a row Lando Norris only just scraped a point by finishing tenth after he was forced into an early pitstop, while Daniel Ricciardo retired.
Norris was in third place in the driver’s standings at one point but is now well behind Bottas and Perez and is also only three points clear of Leclerc in the battle for fifth place.
Further down the constructors’ standings it remains neck and neck in AlphaTauri and Alpine’s battle to finish in fifth.
Pierre Gasly picked up six points for himself and AlphaTauri by finishing seventh, though four points for eighth-placed Esteban Ocon and two for ninth-placed Fernando Alonso mean Alpine also gained six points and both teams sit level on 112 points in total.
Action now heads to the middle east for the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix this coming weekend.
Photo Credit: Getty Images