[ad_1]
The two McLaren drivers dominated the 5th Formula 1 Sprint race of the year at Interlago, Brazil, with Lando Norris the winner after ceding the lead to Oscar Piastri two laps before the checkered flag. Third is Max Verstappen, who passed Charles Leclerc, the difference between Verstappen and Norris in the championship is 45 points.
Lando Norris snapped Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 sprint winning streak by winning the short 24-lap race in Brazil, in the sport’s 21st three-day race this year, after ceding the lead to his McLaren counterpart Oscar Piastri with two laps to go. .
With this change of top Norris took one more point, reducing his gap at the top of the championship at 45 degrees from Max Verstappen – who took 6 third place points by passing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 6 laps before the checkered flag dropped.
Ferrari, however, more or less waited, did not have the speed to compete with the McLarens, as well as Verstappen’s Red Bull RB20, so they followed with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in 4th and 5th, ahead of George Russell of Mercedes . Rounding out the top eight was RBR’s Sergio Perez, with a counter-attack after his disqualification in SQ2 yesterday.
Brazilian GP: Sprint race results
FORMULA 1
The development of the fight
At the start Piastri swerved to the inside to fend off Norris and the two kept the same number of first positions. A little further back, Verstappen tried to pass Leclerc’s Ferrari on the inside for 3rd place, but locked the front left wheel and was fatally left behind by the Monegasque.
The two McLarens then opened up a small gap from Leclerc, who was under pressure from Verstappen. As the top four remained within a second of each other, Norris was anxiously questioning his mechanic about Piastre’s movements in front of him.
But the only instruction given by McLaren to the Australian, on lap 10, was to let Norris close the gap to under a second to offer Norris DRS – apparently to avoid being threatened by Leclerc.
But on lap 13 Leclerc made a mistake at the first chicane (Senna S), had to fend off Verstappen and thus came out of Norris’ DRS as the gap between them exceeded a second.
Gradually Leclerc’s pace began to drop, so much so that Verstappen finally managed with the help of DRS to pass him on the outside of Turn 4 on the 18th of the 24 laps of the race.
The Dutchman then began to chase down Norris, who had steady DRS assistance from Piastri in front of him. Verstappen closed to within 1.7″ on lap 20, but then Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas was stopped at the edge of the track.
As the German tried to remove her, there was a yellow flag situation at the scene for some time. McLaren then hastily asked their drivers to change positions, to avoid the possibility of a Virtual or Normal Safety Car (under which overtaking is prohibited).
Thus, Piastri gave way to Norris on lap 22, mere seconds before Virtual Safety Car status was actually imposed. This ended in the last round. Verstappen wanted to take Piastri’s slipstream before the VSC regime expired, so he did is now facing an investigation into the matter by the Stewards.
With the end of the VSC regime Norris dropped to the lead, while Verstappen failed to make his move on Piastri, and was reduced to the checkered flag on the same lap in 3rd place. But he is now waiting for the decision of the race officials.
[ad_2]