Here is our full text transcript from the Brazil GP Sprint race, which was held at the Interlagos circuit:
The Sprint Shootout is done and dusted, with Lando Norris on a very impressive pole (provided the stewards, which we are still yet to hear from, don’t issue any unexpected penalties for out lap speeds) for the Sprint itself in Brazil this evening. It’ll be 24 laps of Interlagos, with lights out at 6.30pm. It’s just four weeks since a McLaren last started at the head of the grid for a Sprint race, but that time it was Oscar Piastri on pole with the Australian rookie then duly delivering the Saturday win ahead of Max Verstappen.
So can Lando, who remember has yet to taste any kind of ‘win’ in F1 so far, be it Sprint or Grand Prix, make his starting advantage count here?
And right on cue, we’ve just had confirmation from the stewards that neither driver will receive any punishment for that collision.
The stewards determined that the combination of Ocon losing the balance of his car and Alonso turning in towards the racing line combined to cause the collision, therefore neither individual was predominantly to blame.
Lando Norris will be breathing a big sigh of relief! The stewards say that he “could have done more to manage the delta time in a better way” and was therefore somewhat responsible for his breach. However, thankfully for the McLaren driver, the stewards said that they “consider a reprimand to the driver to be appropriate,” as opposed to a harsher punishment. AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda has also received a reprimand for the same reason and keeps his P6 on the grid.
The pit lane is open and the pole-sitter Lando Norris is on his way round to the grid. Unlike yesterday, conditions are absolutely perfect in Interlagos, with no threat of rain around.
The Sprint is a simple 100km race (or 24 laps this evening) with no mandatory pit stops. The top eight drivers score championship points (8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1) and the result has no influence on tomorrow’s Grand Prix – the grid for that was decided in qualifying yesterday. All but three drivers start on softs: that’s 17 drivers on the red-marked compound for this Sprint. The Haas pair, 11th-placed Magnussen and 12th-placed Hulkenberg, are on the mediums. So is 20th-placed Logan Sargeant.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
Lap 1/24: Lando Norris appeared to get away well, but Max Verstappen starts gaining on him and has the inside line into the first corner. There’s nothing the McLaren can do, and the world champion is into the lead. Charles Leclerc was P6 and Carlos Sainz P8 after the first lap. And what an opening lap from George Russell! He overtakes Sergio Perez into the Senna S and then Lando Norris for second mid-way around the lap! Lewis Hamilton also up one into fourth after getting Perez into braking down the backstraight. Sergio Perez is looking to get back past Lewis Hamilton, but so far the Brit is producing some stern defence to keep hold of P4. Charles Leclerc is also right on Perez’s tail in P6.
Lap 5/24: What an action-packed start to this Sprint this has been! It’s now Lando Norris back in second place ahead of George Russell with the assistance of DRS into the first corner. “I think Norris is thinking more now of the gearbox of Max Verstappen,” says Martin Brundle. Verstappen now leads by just under one-second DRS range to Norris.
Sergio Perez gets past George Russell into Turn 1, but the Mercedes hits back almost immediately to reclaim his position. Perez might learn from that one, and wait until the second DRS zone to get that move done next time around. Lap 9/24: Lewis Hamilton has pulled 1.5s clear of Charles Leclerc, and can no longer be blamed for causing a DRS train.
Lap 13/24: Fernando’s recovery from 15th on the grid is going fairly well and he’s now right behind 11th-placed Pierre Gasly. The pair are right behind the Sainz train now. Unfortunately the Ferrari SF-23 cars of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz just did have the pace to keep up with their rivals from Mercedes and McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz exchange passes once more, but this time, Oscar Piastri also gets past the AlphaTauri. Sainz keeps P8, Piastri is up to ninth, and Ricciardo is down to P10. Crucially though, Yuki Tsunoda is looking very good for AlphaTauri in P7, more than three seconds clear of Sainz.
Lap 21/24: Charles Leclerc is suddenly into DRS range behind Lewis Hamilton, and eases past the Mercedes on the home straight. Hamilton almost loses another place to Yuki Tsunoda, but just holds on to P6. It looks like that won’t last long though…Lewis Hamilton loses another place as Yuki Tsunoda eases into P6 on the home straight. The Mercedes is now down to P7! Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo has just got past fellow Australian Oscar Piastri to take P9. He has some work to do to catch Carlos Sainz for the final world championship point though.
Max Verstappen adds another Sprint victory to his collection. He got the job done at the start there, but it looks as though he would have had enough pace to get past Lando Norris regardless. Charles Leclerc ends the Sprint in fifth place, with his Maranello teammate in P8.
Leave a Reply