Bottas Best After Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying

Photo Credit: Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

The 2021 Formula One season is quickly rushing to completion with the Brazilian Grand Prix being the fourth-to-last event. With Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton left with fewer chances to gain points, this weekend’s competition at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace contained the additional opportunity to gain up to three extra points as the race weekend was the last of three where the sport would stage a Sprint Qualifying session.

After a typical time trial on Friday, Hamilton’s Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team race car registered the fastest lap time in Q3 but would receive a penalty for his DRS (Drag Reduction System) being out of compliance with the rules. While Hamilton was moved to the rear for Sprint Qualifying, drivers’ championship leader Verstappen received also entered Saturday with a penalty in the form of a 50,000 euro fine for making physical contact with the rear wing of the #44 Mercedes after Friday qualifying.

The 24-lap contest that would decide the running order for the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday had Max Verstappen’s Red Bull race car at the front but the #77 Mercedes AMG machine of Valtteri Bottas surged ahead almost instantly on the start taking the lead. Soft compound Pirelli tires would be partly to credit for the superior start of Bottas as well as the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. launching from fifth to second on the opening lap. Sainz would only briefly hold on the runner-up spot as Verstappen’s medium compound tires began to work better on the Honda-powered race car.

From a 20^th place starting spot, Lewis Hamilton rapidly climbed through the field taking four positions on the first lap and gaining 14^th place on the second lap. The charge by the seven-time Formula One World Champion was a source of deep amusement.

While Max Verstappen remained close to #77 Mercedes through much of the 24-lap Sprint Qualifying, Valtteri Bottas won the event gaining the full advantage of his opening lap edge. The Finnish driver and his Mercedes AMG team gained three points in their year-long standings in addition to capturing the pole position for Sunday. Max Verstappen’s #33 Red Bull Racing car took second place in the Saturday Sprint Qualifying obtaining two points that allowed the Dutch driver to extend his lead in the current drivers’ standings to 21 points over Lewis Hamilton. The final podium spot was taken by the #55 Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. staying on front of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull Racing.

Photo Credit: LAT Images/Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

Though Lewis Hamilton missed out on scoring points, his performance in 24 laps resulted on a stunning fifth place run taking the final position from the McLaren of Lando Norris on a darling last lap move into turn one. Hamilton’s wild journey on the Formula One grid before Sunday’s race will actually see the #44 car in 10th place after incurring an engine penalty.

The 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix is scheduled for 71 laps starting at 2 p.m. local time (noon eastern time).

2021 Formula 1 Season
Brazilian Grand Prix
Starting Grid
Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	Honda
3	55	Carlos Sainz Jr	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	Honda
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Scuderia Misson Winnow Ferrari	Ferrari
7	10	Pierre Gasly	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
9	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
10	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
12	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine F1 Team	Renault
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team	Mercedes-Benz
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	Scuderia AlphaTauri	Honda
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
17	63	George Russell	Williams Racing	Mercedes-Benz
18	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Alfa Romeo Racing	Ferrari
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Ferrari

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