George Russell took a stunning sprint race win and will start from the front of the grid for the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, after a hectic 24 laps in the F1 Sprint Race in Sao Paulo that saw Max Verstappen drop from first to fourth.
Polesitter Kevin Magnussen led the first lap for Haas, but was powerless to defend against the Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes cars and finished eighth, which is still a very good starting position for Sunday.
Verstappen was the only top-10 driver to start on the mediums and looked comfortable after passing Magnussen, but came under pressure from Russell around Lap 10, then losing the lead five laps later.
Carlos Sainz recovered to finish second after a disappointing qualifying session for Ferrari, but wasn’t able to challenge Russell for the win. However, he’ll start seventh due to a five-place gird penalty from an engine change.
Lance Stroll provided the entertainment further down the pack as the Canadian ran his teammate Sebastian Vettel off the track on the run to Turn 4, picking up a 10-second penalty for his troubles.
Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Zhou Guanyu were put under investigation for start procedure infringements, but nothing was announced by the stewards as of the chequered flag.
F1 Brazilian GP Full Sprint Race Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 30:11.307 |
| 2 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +3.995 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +4.492 |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +10.494 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +11.855 |
| 6 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +13.133 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +25.624 |
| 8 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | +28.768 |
| 9 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | +30.218 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +34.170 |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +39.395 |
| 12 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | +41.159 |
| 13 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | +41.763 |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | +42.338 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +50.306 |
| 16 | Lance Stroll* | Aston Martin | +50.700 |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +51.756 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso) | Alpine | +53.985 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | +76.850 |
| 20 | Alex Albon | Williams | DNF |
- Stroll – 10 second time penalty – Dangerous Manoeuvre
- Alonso – 5 second time penalty – Causing a collision
