George Russell won an action-packed Sprint Race to start from first place for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, as Mercedes surprisingly locked out the front row of the grid in Sao Paulo.
Russell overtook Max Verstappen mid-race after the Red Bull driver picked up some debris early in the race from Alex Albon‘s Williams at Interlagos.
Carlos Sainz finished second, following his aggressive overtake on Verstappen, which damaged the front wing of the Dutchman, but has a five grid place penalty for a new internal combustion engine so will start seventh.
Lewis Hamilton also got by Verstappen to earn a place on the front row, as he looks to maintain his streak of winning a race in every season he’s competed in.
Verstappen will start third, ahead of teammate Sergio Perez and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris is next in sixth, whilst Sprint Race pole sitter Kevin Magnussen will be eighth, in front of Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly.
AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda replaced the floor, front and rear wings of his car during Parc Fermé on Saturday, installing different specification front and rear wing parts, and will thus be required to start the Brazilian GP from the pit lane.
Here is the full starting grid for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix from the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo.
2022 Brazilian Grand Prix starting grid
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz* | Ferrari |
| 8 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas |
| 9 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren |
| 12 | Mick Schumacher | Haas |
| 13 | Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine |
| 18 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams |
| 19 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda* | AlphaTauri |
- Yuki Tsunoda – Start from the pit lane – Car modified whilst under Parc Fermé conditions
- Carlos Sainz – 5 place grid penalty – Additional power unit element has been used
