2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix highlights

George Russell took his maiden victory in some style at the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix. Mercedes took their first win and one-two of the season, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second over Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Click here to subscribe to our print edition!

Mario Isola, Motorsport Director, Pirelli:

A truly emotional race. It’s wonderful to see how Interlagos always puts on a unique show for the fans. As expected, the variables made the difference today, with accidents, two safety cars, and temperatures dropping by more than 10 degrees – which compelled drivers to adapt their driving styles according to the compounds they were using, mixing up the cards for every strategy. On top of the performance of all the different choices, it was really interesting to see how the setup of each car influenced the performance and degradation of the P Zero Red soft and P Zero Yellow medium compounds. The soft allowed for stints of more than 25 laps with manageable degradation, even with heavy cars at the start of the race, while the medium seemed to perform better towards the end, owing to track evolution with more rubber being gradually laid onto the surface. Congratulations to Mercedes and especially to George Russell for his first Grand Prix win, made all the more unforgettable thanks to this fantastic crowd here in Brazil.

How the race was won:

Mercedes sealed its first win of the year with a one-two led by Russell – the winner of yesterday’s sprint race – who finished ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Both drivers adopted an identical two-stop strategy: soft tyres at the start, followed by a middle stint on medium and a final stint on soft. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz completed the podium with a three-stopper, alternating between the medium and soft compounds. Sergio Perez started fourth but was passed during the final laps by both Ferraris and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, finishing the race in seventh on the medium tyres.

Russell set the fastest lap of the race on soft tyres: 1m13.785s. The soft was used for a 34-lap stint by Alfa Romeo’s Guanyu Zhou, who switched from the medium on lap 37.

The alternative strategy:

The Brazilian Grand Prix was effectively split into two different starting strategies. A total of 11 cars selected the soft tyre, and eight used the medium for the opening stint – with the only exception being Williams driver Alex Albon, who put on the hard tyre from last on the grid. He then switched to the medium after five laps during the first safety car. Most drivers ran a two-stop strategy, with most finishing on the soft. Eight drivers instead went for a three-stopper. As predicted yesterday, the hard tyre wasn’t used extensively. The safety cars during the race didn’t lead to any unexpected changes in strategy.

2022 Formula 1 Brazilian GP Race Results

2022 Constructor Standings

Pos	Picture	Team	Points
1.		Red Bull Racing	759
1.		Scuderia Ferrari	554
3.		Mercedes-AMG F1 Team	515
4.		Alpine F1 Team	173
5.		McLaren Racing	159
6.		Alfa Romeo Racing	55
7.		Aston Martin F1 Team	55
8.		Haas F1 Team	37
9.		Scuderia AlphaTauri	35
10.		Williams Racing	8

Here are the team-by-team highlights:

Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez endured one of the toughest days of the season in the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, where the pair finished sixth and seventh at Interlagos to end a run of 19 consecutive Grands Prix for the team.

After starting the race from third and fourth on the grid, contact with Lewis Hamilton on Lap 7 whilst attempting a pass in the first turn damaged Verstappen’s front wing, necessitating a pit stop that dropped him down to 17th place. A further five-second penalty for the incident made Verstappen’s drive back through the field even more difficult.

Pérez held down a podium position for most of the race, but following a late safety car, Pérez dropped back through the field from third as the race entered the final 10 laps.

He was passed by Verstappen with four laps remaining to finish sixth and seventh, as Mercedes driver George Russell claimed victory for the first time.

With only the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix left to run, Pérez is now tied with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on 290 points for second place in the 2022 Drivers’ Standings, setting up a thrilling final race that could net Oracle Red Bull Racing a 1–2 overall, as well as the Constructors’ Championship.

Max Verstappen

We had no pace again today, similar to yesterday – we were sliding too much, and we had bad degradation, so it was hard to attack. I didn’t quite understand the five-second penalty for the incident with Lewis, but it didn’t affect the race too much, as we already lacked pace. We’ve discussed internally as a Team the matter between Checo and myself and have moved on as a Team. If he needs help and there is a chance to help him in Abu Dhabi, then I will be there, and I will, of course, support him. We’re fighting for first and second in the Drivers’ Championship, so we’ll work hard to achieve that.

Sergio Pérez

I am a bit surprised by our performance today. We were very slow on the medium tyre and also on the soft. I was competitive, but as soon as we switched, I couldn’t defend. I lost more positions due to the safety car; without that, I think I could have finished third or fourth. We were definitely down on pace this weekend, so I hope we can go back to our usual form next weekend in Abu Dhabi. I am obviously disappointed with what happened today between Max and myself. It is something we have discussed internally. We will move on and keep working together as a Team. I am sure if I need support in Abu Dhabi, it will be different and going forward, we will always put the Team first.

Christian Horner – Team Principal & CEO

We haven’t often left a Grand Prix weekend this season feeling disappointed. Coming away from Brazil with P6 and P7 is far from the standards we have set for ourselves this season. The main issue for us was our pace. George drove very well all weekend, and the various updates Mercedes have been bringing throughout the year have seen them get quicker and quicker. We need to understand why we gave away performance this weekend and will come out firing on all cylinders in Abu Dhabi.

Regarding Max and Checo, we have discussed the matter internally and go into Abu Dhabi as a Team to do the very best we can to help Checo achieve second place in the Championship. Max is supportive of that. Ultimately, we work as a Team and race as a Team. That ethos has seen us gain such great success this season and will continue to drive us forward.

Red Bull Racing Honda best pictures:

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 11: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 11, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 12: Lucas Moraes, Lucas Rabelo, Pedro Caldas, Caca Bueno, Bruno Crivilin, Marcos Casteluber and Italo Ferreira pose for a photo in the Red Bull Racing garage prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 12: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage prior to the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing walks in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: The Red Bull Racing team prepare for a pitstop during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari comes away from the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos with a third and a fourth place courtesy of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, respectively. It was the best result possible under the circumstances of a race in which both drivers encountered unexpected difficulties.

Bad luck. Both drivers started on the Medium tyre, getting away well but overtaken by Lando Norris, who was on Softs. A Safety Car was required after a collision between Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo, after which Charles set off to attack the Englishman, who clipped the F1-75, sending it into a spin. Leclerc had to pit for a new front wing and a set of tyres and rejoined last. On lap 17, Carlos was fourth behind George Russell and Sergio Perez on Medium tyres which should have lasted longer than the Softs of those around him. But the team spotted unusually high temperatures on the right rear brakes, and it turned out to be caused by the same problem that had already affected Charles in Belgium, namely a visor tear-off caught in the brake cooling duct. Sainz, therefore, had to pit early, wiping out all his efforts up to that point.

On the attack. Therefore, both drivers had to attack from a long way back. Charles pulled off several overtaking moves, while Carlos had great pace and fought Perez for the last spot on the podium. With 20 laps remaining, Charles came up behind Valtteri Bottas in seventh place before the Safety Car was required once more after Norris had to park on the track. This allowed Sainz to pit for Soft tyres while Charles stayed out on his Softs. At the restart, both of them managed to get past Perez to be third and fourth, proving that the F1-75 was definitely on the pace this weekend. Today’s result means that Charles has joined Perez on 290 points and is therefore classified second in the Drivers’ standings as he has more wins. Scuderia Ferrari is still second in the Constructors’ classification, 19 points ahead of Mercedes. The last race of the season takes place in Abu Dhabi next Sunday.

Carlos Sainz #55

The team fought well for this result. We had a strong weekend and a solid race despite the penalty and some setbacks today, namely the issue with the tear-off that meant I had to pit earlier than planned, and we had to rethink our strategy.

We stayed focused, picked up the pace again and were fast during the race. We reacted to every challenge today, and the boys did great pitstops. We brought home the best possible result for the team, and we look forward to racing again in Abu Dhabi for the last time this season. Congratulations to George on his maiden win. He’s had a good weekend, and he deserves it.

Charles Leclerc #16

It was a tough race today. The incident shortly after the start dropped me all the way to the back of the field. The pace and the feeling in the car were good, and I’m satisfied with my performance and the recovery I made to finish P4.

It will be a tight battle with Checo (Perez), and I look forward to racing in Abu Dhabi, where I’ll give it my all for one last time this season.

Mattia Binotto, Team Principal & Managing Director

Our race immediately got much harder right from the early stages because of Charles’ incident and, in Carlos’ case, because a visor tear-off got stuck in a brake cooling duct on his car, which meant he had to make his first pit stop earlier than planned, while the mechanics dealt with the problem. From then on, it was a case of attacking all the time, thanks to an aggressive strategy and a great job from the whole team. We finished third and fourth, picking up plenty of championship points that could prove vital going into the final round in Abu Dhabi. Now we are concentrating on ensuring we are as well prepared as possible for this decisive last race. My congratulations to George Russell on his first win.

Scuderia Ferrari best pictures:

1 – GP BRASILE F1/2022 – GIOVEDI’ 10/11/2022

1 – GP BRASILE F1/2022 – GIOVEDI’ 10/11/2022

3 – GP BRASILE F1/2022 – SABATO 12/11/2022

FERRARI F1 GP BRASILE SABATO 12/11/2022 credit @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

4 – GP BRASILE F1/2022 – DOMENICA 13/11/2022

FERRARI F1 GP BRASILE DOMENICA 13/11/2022 credit @Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team took its first win of the season with a stellar 1-2 finish in Interlagos, with George Russell taking his maiden Grand Prix victory.

George Russell took a commanding first win of his F1 career, leading away from the pole position and controlling the race from the front. It was the 125th F1 win for Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton fought back from being pushed off track by Max Verstappen in the early laps, coming from P8 to finish P2, just over one second behind his team-mate.

George also took the 100th fastest lap in F1 for Mercedes, fractionally faster than Lewis. Today, the team closed the gap to P2 in the constructors’ championship to 19 points after Ferrari fought back to a strong P3/P4 finish. It’s all to play for in Abu Dhabi!

Lewis Hamilton

I have to say huge congratulations to George. What an amazing drive he did today. He did an amazing job yesterday in the Sprint, so he truly deserves it. To my Team, I’m so proud of everyone back at the factory and here. This is an incredible result – we’ve worked so hard through this year to get a 1-2 and to get a win. This is hugely deserved by everybody, so a big thank you to you all!

George Russell

What an amazing feeling. A huge thank you to the whole team for making this possible. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster this season, this race. I felt in control, Lewis was super-fast, and then when I saw the safety car, I thought this would be a difficult end. He put me under so much pressure. But I’m so happy to come away with the victory. On the in-lap, all of these memories came flooding back, starting off with my Mum and Dad in go Karting, going through all the support I’ve had from the rest of my family, my girlfriend, my trainer, and my manager. The likes of Gwen, who first gave me the opportunity to get on the programme with Mercedes, and James Vowles and Toto. I can’t thank everyone enough.

Andrew Shovlin

One nice thing about having a year without wins is you remind yourself just how special they are and just how good they feel. What a result; huge congratulations to George, who drove a perfect race – he looked so comfortable at the front, and this will undoubtedly be the first of many. Also a fantastic recovery for Lewis, we thought he’d have been out of the picture after the collision with Max, but he put in a brilliant drive to get back to P2. The team back in Brackley and Brixworth have done an amazing job to make this possible, we had no idea we’d be able to achieve this given where we were at the start of the year, but today, we’re glad it’s just a long season as we’d not have wanted to miss this result. The engineers and drivers clearly did a good job getting the car in the right place with just a single session on Friday. We were using the tyres well, and great to see that the pace was strong. We’re looking forward to the last round in Abu Dhabi; it’s been a tough season for the entire team, but it’s given us even more motivation for 2023 to make sure we can hit the ground running.

Mercedes-AMG F1 Team best pictures:

2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Friday – Steve Etherington

2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Saturday – LAT Images

2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Saturday – LAT Images

2022 Brazilian Grand Prix 2022, Sonntag – LAT Images

2022 Brazilian Grand Prix 2022, Sonntag – LAT Images

2022 Brazilian Grand Prix 2022, Sonntag – LAT Images

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, and Team Principal Andreas Seidl after the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Lando moved up one position after a brilliant getaway off the start/finish line. Daniel collided with the rear of Magnussen on the opening lap ending his race prematurely. Lando and Leclerc touched as the pair battled for position, for which Lando was handed a five-second penalty. With Verstappen and Hamilton pitting, Lando moved into the top three. Sainz, Hamilton and Vettel passed Lando, who dropped back to P6 after 18 laps. On lap 25, Lando pitted for Medium tyres and served his time penalty. He emerged in P13 behind Ocon. 30 laps in, Lando re-entered the points positions after overtaking Zhou. Both Gasly and Alonso pitted on lap 36, and Lando was up to P8. Following a second battle with Leclerc, Lando was overtaken for P8 before the Ferrari driver pitted and gave Lando the position back. On lap 46, Lando pitted for a second time, opting for new Soft tyres, coming back out in P16. Lando passed Zhou once again and was up to P12 with other drivers pitting for fresh tyres. A power failure forced Lando to retire his car on lap 51, ending McLaren’s participation in the race.

Lando Norris

My start today was good, but it was a disappointing Sunday for us. Regarding the contact with Charles, I thought it was a racing incident. Of course, I didn’t want contact, and I held my line as much as possible. Maybe I could have given him 5cm more, and he could have given me 5cm more, but it’s just a shame what happened. For the rest of the race, we were off the pace. I’d like to believe there was a little bit of damage because we were too slow today. I’m not sure why we stopped. The team will investigate. I’ve not been very well this weekend, but I’ve had a lot of support from the team, and we’re now focusing on finishing strongly in Abu Dhabi.

Daniel Ricciardo

Firstly, I’m disappointed as it’s always difficult when your race is over so quickly. I touched the back of Kevin, and it’s a shame. I think the biggest disappointment is that it was such a small touch, but it had massive consequences. I didn’t expect him to spin, and I guess that was just the angle that we touched, and it just unloaded his rear. I feel most times, with a small touch like that, you can get away with it. So it was pretty unfortunate for both of us. It was an eventful race, so it’s a shame not to have been out there. Apologies to the team here and back at home, but we will reset and go again in Abu Dhabi.

Andreas Seidl

That’s not what we had in mind when coming to the track this morning. We must acknowledge that we didn’t manage to put it together today as a team. The primary objective is always to see the chequered flag on Sunday, which we didn’t manage with either car today. We lost Daniel in the first lap with the incident with Kevin, and we lost ground with Lando with a five-second penalty after the incident with Charles. We struggled with pace, lost power, and were forced to stop on track with Lando. At the same time, our competitors for P4 in the championship scored a big result. Thanks to the team here at the track and back home, HPP, Daniel and Lando for the hard work. We will reset, analyse and learn what we can do better next week and give it our all once more in Abu Dhabi.

McLaren Racing best pictures:

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren

Lando Norris, McLaren

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL36, arrives on the grid

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren, on the grid

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36, arrives on the grid

BWT Alpine F1 Team scored 14 points from the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix after Fernando Alonso stormed from seventeenth to fifth and Esteban Ocon from sixteenth to eighth in a brilliant team display at an excited Interlagos.

The team moves onto 167 points in the Constructors’ Championship and extends its advantage to fourth place.

Both drivers demonstrated good teamwork in the 71-lap race, with Esteban on a two-stop Soft-Medium-Soft strategy and Fernando on a bold three-stop as he depended on a late charge on Softs to pick up a handful of places in the closing stages.

The team looked set to claim a solid top ten finish with both cars before a Virtual Safety Car, upgraded to a full Safety Car, for Lando Norris’s stoppage at Turn 10 on lap 50. That set up a dramatic finale as Esteban overtook Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas to hold a comfortable eighth place. Fernando could go past Esteban cleanly at Turn 10 as he set his sights on chasing down the cars in front. The Spaniard seized on Sergio Perez to take fifth place and a deserved 10 points at the chequered flag.

Fernando Alonso

It was a very good race for us today here in São Paulo. The car was very competitive, and with our race strategy, we were out of sync with most of the cars. Then, in the end, during the Safety Car period, I had newer tyres, and we pushed as close to the front as we could; I overtook Sergio [Perez], and then I tried to look at Charles [Leclerc], but they were a step too fast for overtaking. I made a mistake yesterday when Esteban and I made contact, so today, we wanted to do our best and race hard for the team. We needed these points heading to Abu Dhabi. There is one more race with the team to go, and my heart is in racing.

Esteban Ocon

It’s a great result for the team today, and I’m very happy with our race. We maximised the different strategies on both cars and scored fourteen points heading into the season’s last race. It was a good recovery drive from Fernando and me after starting from where we did, so credit to the team for the execution. We knew we had to be at our best after yesterday’s disappointment, and that’s exactly what we did in the race. The season is not over, and we still have one more race to go. It will be a full push until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi.

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal

If yesterday was a low point in our season, today is certainly up there as a high. Congratulations to the entire team – both factories at Viry and Enstone – everyone trackside, and the drivers for a fantastic Sunday effort where we’ve scored 14 points and, importantly, extended our lead to fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship. The race was well executed, with both drivers showing a very strong pace, allowing them to close in on the top ten. We had Esteban on a two-stop strategy where he utilised the pace on the Soft tyre at the start, with Fernando on a three-stop with his aim to attack at the end of the race on his new set of Softs. It worked out well, with Esteban very comfortable inside the top 10 and Fernando benefitting from the VSC and SC in the closing stages to impressively overtaking several cars on his way to fifth place. The championship is not over yet until the chequered flag drops in Abu Dhabi. We will remain focused, do our normal preparation next weekend, and give it our best to have both cars finish the season as strongly as possible. We’re nearly home…

Alpine F1 Team best pictures:

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team. Brazilian Grand Prix, Saturday 13th of November 2022.

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team. Brazilian Grand Prix, Saturday 13th of November 2022.

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team. Brazilian Grand Prix, Sunday 13th of November 2022.

Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN

Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN produced a strong display to bring home two points at the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, courtesy of Valtteri Bottas’s ninth place. His team-mate, Zhou Guanyu, also had a good race and ran in the points for most of the afternoon before closing in 12th position.

It was a convincing performance by the team, despite a late safety car that prevented an even better result. The two points claimed to extend to five points the advantage to the closest rivals for sixth place in the constructors’ championship ahead of next week’s finale in Abu Dhabi.

Valtteri Bottas (car number 77)

I’m happy about today’s race, and we’re happy as a team. Everyone did a good job–going from 14th on the grid to ninth at the flag definitely classes as a good result. We could have been even higher, but the Safety Car at the end didn’t really play in our favour: it cancelled the advantage we had on the cars behind us, and it left us exposed. Still, we scored more than our direct rivals, so we can’t complain too much. I did enjoy myself today, I was in some good fights, and the car’s pace was strong. I also want to thank Zhou for being a true team player today. We have been in good form in the last few events, we have one more to go to get the job done, but we approach it confidently.

Zhou Guanyu (car number 24)

Overall, we can be quite happy about the weekend, especially when you look at how we started compared to where we finished. Our focus was to maximise the team’s potential; I’m confident we’ve managed that. Still, today has been a bit difficult on my part: I got my drink system straw stuck in my helmet at the beginning of the race before managing to remove it, but, later on, we suffered from some turbo issues, something we will have to investigate ahead of next week. We pitted early, aiming to undercut other drivers, but then towards the end, the Safety Car made it quite difficult for us to keep up, especially because we didn’t have many tyres left. Nevertheless, it’s good to see that the team brought home some more points to give us a good position for the constructors’ championship ahead of the final race.

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal

The team did a really good job today, and we were able to turn the weekend around and leave with a good result. We showed a good pace yesterday and made up a lot of ground, and we can be satisfied to leave Brazil with an increased gap over our closest rivals. We had a good start and were able to run as high as fifth during the race: it’s a shame the late Safety Car nullified our advantage and put us within range of other cars, but we still brought home the points we wanted. Most importantly, it was yet another event in which we showed good form, as we did in Mexico, so we can approach the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi with confidence: we can be in the mix for points once again and hopefully clinch a sixth place in the championship.

Alfa Romeo F1 Team best pictures:

77 BOTTAS Valtteri (fin), Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42, action during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio de São Paulo 2022, Sao Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix 2022, 21st round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship from November 11 to 13, 2022 on the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil – Photo DPPI

CARLOS Roberto, Brazilian former professional footballer, portrait during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio de São Paulo 2022, Sao Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix 2022, 21st round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship from November 11 to 13, 2022 on the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil – Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI

ZEHNDER Beat, Team Manager of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, portrait during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio de São Paulo 2022, Sao Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix 2022, 21st round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship from November 11 to 13, 2022 on the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil – Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI

starting grid, grille de depart, ZHOU Guanyu (chi), Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42, portrait during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio de São Paulo 2022, Sao Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix 2022, 21st round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship from November 11 to 13, 2022 on the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil – Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI

starting grid, grille de depart, BOTTAS Valtteri (fin), Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42, portrait during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio de São Paulo 2022, Sao Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix 2022, 21st round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship from November 11 to 13, 2022 on the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil – Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI

CROMWELL Tiffany, wife of BOTTAS Valtteri (fin), Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN C42, portrait during the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio de São Paulo 2022, Sao Paulo Grand Prix Grand Prix 2022, 21st round of the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship from November 11 to 13, 2022 on the Interlagos Circuit, in Sao Paulo, Brazil – Photo Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Haas F1 Team finished with Mick Schumacher 13th, while Kevin Magnussen was forced into retirement at the 2022 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, held Sunday at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Schumacher took the start on Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tires and avoided the drama that befell rivals, moving up from 12th on the grid to eighth. Schumacher spent most of the race in a fierce fight in and around the top 10, coming in on Lap 24 for Red soft tires before stopping once more for the same compound on Lap 47. A late Safety Car, caused by Lando Norris’ McLaren losing power, bunched the field, and Schumacher took the restart from 12th place. Schumacher greeted the checkered flag in the 13th spot.

Kevin Magnussen’s race was run halfway through the first lap after he was spun and collected by McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. From eighth on the grid, Magnussen defended from Ricciardo into Turn 8 but was struck from behind by Ricciardo, with Magnussen tipped into a spin. As the VF-22 rotated, he was hit by the Australian, causing terminal damage to the car and bringing Magnussen’s 100th race start with Haas F1 Team to a premature conclusion.

Up front, George Russell claimed his maiden Formula 1 victory by leading home Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz third.

Haas F1 Team holds the eighth position in the Constructors’ Championship with 37 points.

Kevin Magnussen, Driver No. 20

I think our car has had a great pace all week, but it is what it is. Daniel (Ricciardo) didn’t do it on purpose, which doesn’t help us, but we move on. We’re not always up where we have been this weekend, so it’s a shame that we couldn’t capitalize on that fully today as we had a great pace.

Mick Schumacher, Driver No. 47

That medium tire didn’t seem to work for us, and we struggled a lot. Once we got onto the soft, I was much more comfortable and felt a lot more competitive. We may be extended the first stint a bit too much, but you never know how long the softs will last, so overall it was alright. Sometimes it’s your year, and sometimes it’s not, and I guess this year hasn’t been mine. We still have one more to go, and we’ll do our best.

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

Unfortunately no points for us today. Kevin’s race finished on Lap 1 when he was hit by Ricciardo, and there was no way to get back out on the track. The car was destroyed. Mick battled fiercely in the race, but he couldn’t make up for his behind positions. We now head to Abu Dhabi, where we will give it our all like we have done all season long.

Haas F1 Team best pictures:

AUTóDROMO JOSé CARLOS PACE, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 11: Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team celebrates pole position during the São Paulo GP at Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Friday November 11, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Sutton / LAT Images)

AUTóDROMO JOSé CARLOS PACE, BRAZIL РNOVEMBER 12: Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1, in the team principals Press Conference during the São Paulo GP at Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Saturday November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by LAT Images)

AUTóDROMO JOSé CARLOS PACE, BRAZIL РNOVEMBER 12: Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, on the Sprint grid during the São Paulo GP at Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Saturday November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

AUTóDROMO JOSé CARLOS PACE, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Mick Schumacher, Haas F1 Team, on the grid during the São Paulo GP at Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Sunday November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

AUTóDROMO JOSé CARLOS PACE, BRAZIL РNOVEMBER 13: Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin AMR22, leads Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36, Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri AT03, Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-22, and the remainder of the field at the start during the São Paulo GP at Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Sunday November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)

AUTóDROMO JOSé CARLOS PACE, BRAZIL РNOVEMBER 13: Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team, is checked over by the medical team after crashing out during the São Paulo GP at Autódromo José Carlos Pace on Sunday November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images)

Scuderia Alpha Tauri also had a difficult race, with Pierre Gasly crossing the finish line in 12th but dropping to 14th after receiving a five-second penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit, while Yuki Tsunoda finished the race in 17th place.

Pierre Gasly

I gave everything I could today, and I’m happy with my performance. It’s just frustrating not to be able to fight for points. I had a strong start and was able to get up to P9. We were quite competitive on the Softs, but we struggled on the Mediums. I fought as hard as I could, but we just did not have the pace, and there wasn’t much we could do this afternoon. We’ve got one last opportunity to score points in Abu Dhabi and hopefully finish the season in eighth. It’ll be my last race for the team, so it’ll be emotional, and I hope we can finish our journey together on a high.

Yuki Tsunoda

After the changes ahead of the race, the car felt slightly better, but I still wasn’t that comfortable in it, and we didn’t have the pace today. Normally, you can unlap yourself under the Safety Car, but today I was told to stay in my position, so we ended the day a whole lap behind the pack, with no opportunity to make my way forward. It’s been a difficult weekend, so we need to go away and investigate why we’ve struggled so much ahead of the final race in Abu Dhabi next week.

JONATHAN EDDOLLS – Chief Race Engineer

It was a difficult afternoon for the team. Yuki struggled most of the weekend to extract competitive lap times from the car, so we decided to change the setup and start from the pitlane. Although the changes did give him a better feeling, it wasn’t enough to allow him to move forward and challenge for points. For reasons that we still need to clarify, he couldn’t unlap himself, so not only was he a lap down, but he got the blue flags from everyone and therefore, this put pay to any chances he had to overtake some cars at the end to finish only 17th. Pierre was holding his own at the start of the race, but with that pace our tyre degradation was high, and we had to convert to a three-stop strategy. Even with the extra stops and fitting the new tyres, we didn’t have enough pace to get inside the top 10, although we crossed the line within 3.3 seconds of P10. The five second penalty for speeding in the pits dropped us further down, rounding off what has been one of the more challenging races of this season. In any case, we will regroup before Abu Dhabi, push hard and do all we can as a team to score points in the final race.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team best pictures:

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 12: Yuki Tsunoda of Scuderia AlphaTauri and Japan on the grid during the sprint race ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 12: Pierre Gasly of Scuderia AlphaTauri and France on the grid during the sprint race ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 12, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT03 at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT03 makes a pitstop during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Scuderia AlphaTauri AT03 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 13: Pierre Gasly of Scuderia AlphaTauri and France pitstops during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 13, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

Lance could come through the order in the closing stages to take home a point in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Sebastian’s strong afternoon was undone by a late Safety Car in another race of damage limitation for the team.

Lance Stroll

There was a lot going on in the race, but we were able to take some chances towards the end. We did not have much pace with the Medium tyre earlier on in the race, but the balance on the Soft was much better.

It is a nice feeling to score a point after a challenging weekend as a whole, but it is a shame that Alfa Romeo pulled a little bit further away from us in the Constructors’ Championship today. It will be tough, but we will try overhauling them in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

Sebastian Vettel

I made a decent start but lost a couple of positions at the first pitstop, which started to reshape my afternoon. I had a decent pace, but the timing of the second Safety Car did not go in my favour because I was on Mediums while many cars around me were on Softs for the restart.

It feels like we should have scored more points today – but given how things played out, I do not think we could have done much more than we did. That is sometimes racing. We will go again to Abu Dhabi next week.

Mike Krack, Team Principal

This was a thrilling race on a fantastic racetrack in front of a terrific crowd – but, despite running in the top 10 for the entire afternoon and coming home with a valuable World Championship point, things did not really work out for us today.

Sebastian raced hard on a two-stop strategy, running as high as third, but the timings of the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car really played against him today.

From the 15th, Lance made another customary blistering start and was able to run on the edge of the top 10, ultimately scoring a point. I want to thank both drivers’ teamwork today – Lance helped Sebastian to gain ground after his second stop; then Sebastian moved aside to let Lance challenge Valtteri [Bottas] for ninth place.

Our pace encourages us and will go again one final time in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:

Portrait, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, GP2221a, F1, GP, Brazil
Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin

action, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, GP2221a, F1, GP, Brazil
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22

Portrait, Helmets, AutÛdromo JosÈ Carlos Pace, GP2221a, F1, GP, Brazil
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin, on the grid

Portrait, AutÛdromo JosÈ Carlos Pace, GP2221a, F1, GP, Brazil
Felipe Drugovich, Reserve Driver, Aston Martin, speaks to guests

action, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, GP2221a, F1, GP, Brazil
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin AMR22, leads Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo C42, and Esteban Ocon, Alpine A522

Helmets, Portrait, Autódromo José Carlos Pace, GP2221a, F1, GP, Brazil
Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Alex Albon

Our race was OK, but we got unlucky with the Safety Car, with everyone in front of us getting a free pit stop, ultimately compromising our whole race. We did a good job, and in terms of the race, I was happy with how I was driving, and it looked like we were optimising the race.

I do think we may have made an error with our start tyre, as everyone else was on the softs and mediums, but the Safety Car allowed us to swap to a two-stop medium race immediately. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll look forward to the next and last race of the season.

Nicholas Latifi

The car was better today in the race. We had damage yesterday on the floor, which we repaired overnight, so the car was feeling better today. I had a big flat spot on the first lap, which affected the first stint pace. It was then, unfortunately, we had a slow pitstop and struggled on race pace from there. The Safety Car gave us a little bit of hope at the end, but I couldn’t catch up to the pack.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance:

With the early Safety Car, we could switch Alex to an effective two-stop race using only medium tyres. With the second Safety Car coming shortly after Alex had made his final stop, most of the tyre advantage we were accruing for the final stint was lost. At the restart, Alex suffered a loss of power, which took us a couple of laps to recover, and he could not make any further progress.

Nicholas ran a short stint on the Hard compound, but this was a poor tyre today and, coupled with a slow pit-stop, dropped him off the back of the pack. The second safety car allowed him to recover and race Alex over the final laps, but it was a frustrating day.

Williams F1 Team best pictures:

Alexander Albon (THA) Williams Racing.
Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday 11th November 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nicholas Latifi (CDN) Williams Racing FW44.
Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday 11th November 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nicholas Latifi (CAN), Williams Racing
Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday 11th November 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nicholas Latifi (CDN) Williams Racing.
Brazilian Grand Prix, Friday 11th November 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams Racing
Brazilian Grand Prix, Saturday 12th November 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Alex Albon (THA), Williams Racing
Brazilian Grand Prix, Sunday 13th November 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.