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Sixth and seventh ends Oracle Red Bull Racing's rollicking run in Brazil
A history-equalling streak of wins and podium finishes came to an end at the São Paulo Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez taking sixth and seventh respectively.
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Turns out the old saying is right: you really can't win 'em all. Oracle Red Bull Racing came to the São Paulo Grand Prix on a record-equalling run of Formula One race victories and podiums, but left Brazil empty-handed after Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez finished sixth and seventh respectively after 71 laps of the Interlagos circuit.
Oracle Red Bull Racing came to Brazil on a streak of nine consecutive wins, equalling Sebastian Vettel's run of nine straight victories to end the 2013 season, while either Verstappen or Pérez (or both) had finished on the podium for 19 consecutive Grands Prix, equalling the team's best run across the 2010-11 seasons. But a difficult race punctuated by safety cars and late drama snapped that pair of runs, but it's still all to play for in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
By finishing seventh, Pérez is now level with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on 290 points in the drivers' championship, the Monegasque in second over the Mexican by virtue of taking three race wins this season to Pérez's two. The final round will be a shootout between the pair as Oracle Red Bull Racing attempts to finish 1-2 in the drivers' standings for the first time in its history, despite Verstappen securing the team's sixth drivers' title in October in Japan.
Mercedes driver George Russell took his maiden F1 win in São Paulo ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the result coming as Mercedes' first win of the season and edging the team to within 23 points of Ferrari for second in the constructors' crown. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz completed the rostrum in third place, a meritorious fightback from the Spaniard after he started seventh following an engine penalty.
Here's how a challenging afternoon for Oracle Red Bull Racing shook out at Interlagos.
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Max's three-race winning streak stopped
Verstappen's first hint of São Paulo struggles came in Saturday's 24-lap sprint race to set the grid for the Grand Prix proper, where he led for the opening half of the race before struggling with tyre wear and falling to fourth, which became third on the grid after Sainz's penalty was applied.
The race was all about attacking front-row starters Russell and Hamilton as soon as the lights went out on Sunday, but the Dutchman had to bide his time after Lap 1 crash between McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen necessitated a safety car.
On Lap 7 when the race resumed, Verstappen and Hamilton came to blows at the Turn 1-2 Senna 'S' complex, Verstappen being found at fault for the collision and being handed a five-second time penalty, which he took at his next pit stop.
Verstappen's chances of a podium ended after his clash with Hamilton
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Verstappen looked set to finish in the lower half of the top 10 after fighting back from the rear of the field, but another safety car caused by Lando Norris crawling to a halt on Lap 52 turned the race into an 11-lap sprint to the flag once the stricken McLaren was cleared.
On fresher tyres, Verstappen moved up the order past his team-mate to sixth place, which he elected to retain as the cars crossed the line with Pérez four seconds behind him.
"At the end of the day we were too slow anyway so there's not much we could have done – just way too much degradation," Verstappen said after discussing his early-race skirmish with Hamilton.
Asked about his late-race retention of sixth place, Verstappen said "I had my reasons for that.
"We just discussed that and I think it's good we finally sat together and talked about it, and you just move forward from here. For sure if we go to Abu Dhabi and he needs support – they are tied so it's not the end of the world – it's all about who finishes ahead anyway. If he needs the help, I'll be there."
Seventh sets up challenge for Checo
The timing of Norris' late-race demise was unfortunate for Pérez, who had run inside the top three for most of the race after the Verstappen/Hamilton clash and looked like a strong chance to add an 11th podium finish to what has already been his most successful F1 season.
The Mexican was in third place on the restart for the final run to the flag, but was the only car running on medium-compound tyres at the time, which left him vulnerable to the pursuing pack on faster, softer rubber. Sainz deposed Pérez from the podium on Lap 63, and he had little chance to defend against Leclerc and Alpine's Fernando Alonso as the laps clicked down.
Verstappen was let through to attack Alonso and, more importantly for the drivers' championship, Leclerc at the end, but Pérez had to settle for seventh on a day where more points looked a strong possibility for the majority of the race.
Pérez fell out of the podium places as the laps counted down
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
"I was told to let him by and that he (Verstappen) would give back the position," Pérez said.
"It's a bit disappointing to be honest. I'm really surprised. We were down on pace this weekend, so I really hope we can be back on our usual form in Abu Dhabi."
Gasly misses out as AlphaTauri time ticks down
Scuderia AlphaTauri remained marooned in ninth place in the constructors' championship after a pointless afternoon in Brazil, Pierre Gasly (14th) and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda (17th) missing out on top-10 results on a day where there were only three retirements in the race.
Gasly started 10th after making up two positions in Saturday's sprint race, but finished a frustrating three seconds behind 10th-placed Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) on the road before being assessed a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, demoting him to 14th. He retains 14th place in the drivers' standings after his penultimate race with the team.
Gasly just fell short of a top-10 finish in Brazil
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Tsunoda, meanwhile, had a torrid time on his second visit to São Paulo; the Japanese driver began Sunday's race from the pit lane after the team made changes to his car after Saturday's sprint, installing a new floor, rear wing and front wing. He then finished a lap down as the final classified runner after battling damage from hitting debris throughout the race.
With one Grand Prix remaining, AlphaTauri trails Haas by two points as it chases eighth place in the constructors' championship.
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Magnussen stuns, team-mates squabble
The biggest surprise of the weekend came in Friday qualifying ahead of the Saturday sprint race, when Magnussen took a shock pole position, his maiden pole in his 140th F1 race and Haas' first pole ever, the American team setting a record for the most races entered before achieving pole (143).
Magnussen, who was only called back to the sport this year by Haas after losing his seat for 2021, made the most of being on the right tyre at the right time as the final period of qualifying started in the dry before the rain intensified. The Dane came home eighth in the sprint to make it three points finishes in as many sprint races this season, but contact with Ricciardo eliminated him on the opening lap on Sunday.
Elsewhere, the Saturday sprint race was notable for two incidences of friendly fire between team-mates. Aston Martin's Stroll was given a 10-second penalty for pushing Sebastian Vettel onto the grass as the German tried to pass the Canadian on the run to Turn 4, while Alpine's Alonso copped a five-second penalty for two opening-lap skirmishes with team-mate Esteban Ocon, the second of which broke Alonso's front wing and necessitated an unscheduled pit stop for repairs.
Once more, with feeling
The longest season in F1 history wraps up next weekend at a venue where memories for Oracle Red Bull Racing will never fade, the Yas Marina Circuit for this year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (November 20), the 22nd and final round of the year.
It was – who can forget – the site of Verstappen's dramatic last-lap world championship-clinching victory 12 months ago, and while there's less at stake for this year's season finale, the Dutchman is aiming for a hat-trick of wins at the circuit after taking the 2020 season-ender as well. He's not been off the podium at Yas Marina since 2017, and even then he finished in fifth place.
Pérez, meanwhile, has his sights set on his first trophy from Abu Dhabi; in 11 previous visits, the Mexican has a best F1 finish of fifth on his résumé (for Force India in 2015), while he played a crucial strategic role in Verstappen's title showdown with Lewis Hamilton here a year ago. Checo won in Abu Dhabi on his final weekend as a GP2 (now F2) racer way back in 2010.
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