A timely performance.
Britain's Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who dominated qualifying on Friday, will lead the qualifying sprint race for the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix on Saturday at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo.
"
It's been so long since it's like the first time,
" exclaimed the seven-time 36-year-old world champion, who hadn't been the fastest on a lap since the Hungarian GP started. August, before the summer break.
An eternity for an exercise specialist.
The Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), his rival in the World Championship with 19 points ahead of four races to go, will accompany him on the front row on Saturday at 4.30 p.m. (8.30 p.m. French).
To discover
Formula 1: manufacturer ranking
Formula 1: drivers ranking
Sometimes you have to be realistic, we didn't have much more under our feet.
But the most important thing is Sunday.
Max Verstappen
But nothing is decided for the starting grid of the Grand Prix on Sunday, which will be determined by the results of the sprint race on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. French) but also by the five-place penalty imposed on Hamilton for an engine change in -beyond the authorized quota per season. Already looking towards Sunday, when it really counts, the Briton promises to "
give everything
", penalty or not. He has no choice: he must absolutely prevent Verstappen from widening the gap in the drivers' standings beyond the 25 points mark, which would protect him from retirement. While his Red Bull was supposed to outperform the Mercedes on paper on the Brazilian circuit, the Dutchman is "
just happy to be second.
», Even if his face expresses the opposite. “
Sometimes you have to be realistic, we didn't have much more under our feet,
” he admits. “
But the most important thing is Sunday,
” recalls the Red Bull driver, who is chasing his first world title at the age of 24. "
The weather will be completely different, it will be much hotter, and that will change the behavior of the cars,
" a priori to the disadvantage of the Silver Arrows.
The Brazilian GP is the third and last in 2021 (after Great Britain in July and Italy in September) to offer a new format, with a qualifying sprint race on Saturday, the results of which determine Sunday's starting grid. The classic qualifications, they fix the starting positions of this sprint race, of which the first three will also score points in the championship (from 3 for the first to 1 for the third). Mercedes and Red Bull lieutenants Finnish Valtteri Bottas and Mexican Sergio Pérez inherit the second row, Frenchman Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) and Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) third. Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), Briton Lando Norris (McLaren), Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) andSpanish Fernando Alonso (Alpine) completed the Top 10, ahead of second Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 11th.
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