Anyhow, that’s about us - we’l be back in a fortnight, when the season will close in Abu Dhabi. It promises to be another jazzer. Ta-ra!
Phew! That was yet another belting race - we’ve been waiting for a Hamilton-Verstappen duel, and it did not disappoint. And, as we said at the start, Verstappen is the coming man. Next season is going to be very special, and Red Bull are ready. Mercedes, and Hamilton, have work to do.
Here’s Giles Richards’ report from Interlagos.
Driver championship standings
- Hamilton (Mercedes) 396
- Bottas (Mercedes) 314
- Verstappen (Red Bull) 260
- Leclerc (Ferrari) 249
- Vettel (Ferrari) 230
- Gasly (Toro Rosso) 95
- Sainz Jr (McLaren) 92
- Albon (Red Bull) 84
Updated
Verstappen enjoys the Netherlands national anthem.
Updated
Odds and sods: that fourth place equals Sainz’s best-ever F1 finish, and Giovinazzi’s sixth is now his.
Of course, Hamilton might lose that third place, if the stewards penalise him for the Albon incident. But, in the meantime:
1. Verstappen
2. Gasly
3. Hamilton
4. Sainz Jr
5. Raikkonen
6. Giovinazzi
7. Ricciardo
8. Norris
9. Perez
10. Kvyat
11. Magnussen
12. Hulkenberg
13. Russell
14. Grosjean
15. Albon
16. Kubica
Vettel, Stroll, Leclerc, Bottas did not finish
Updated
Gasly is buzzing. It’s his first podium, and he says he’s made many in other motorsport, but this is something special. He also enjoyed his finish with Hamilton, trying to get low in the car.
Updated
Hamilton says the gap to take Albon was there but then it closed and he massively apologises. Red Bull were quicker on the straights, he says, and he took a lot of risks, giving it everything he could to win. Barichello says Verstappen looked unbeatable today and Hamilton agrees there was nothing he could’ve done. He had the speed around the corners but not on the straights.
Verstappen tells Barichello that Hamilton was very quick and they twice played good moves to beat him. He says he controlled the race and had great fun out there. He was pushing glat-out to be close to Hamilton when they restarted and he knew he had DRS and great top speed so was confident he could pull it off.
But spare a thought for poor Alex Albon, whos podium was confiscated by a Hamiltonian shunt.
Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, is a-whoopin an a-hollerin - he is ecstatic with that finish and rightly so. It wasn’t exactly vintage but, as Ryan Giggs would say, he'd’ve took it.
That was more or less a perfect weekend from Verstappen. Pole, then a brilliant drive, great tactics, and a win despite various unforeseen circumstances. He is going to be a danger next season.
Updated
REDEMPTION! MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX!
Gasly is second - his first podium - with Hamilton third.
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Lap 71/71 Hamilton might find himself penalised for that, but Albon made an error offering the space. Hamilton’s car is slightly mangled.
Albon leaves the door open for Hamilton, Hamilton goes, and bashes him off the track. There goes his first ever podium!
Lap 70/71 Verstappen leads by 1.547s but HAVE A LOOK!
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Lap 70/71 Verstappen absolutely streaks away! Albon is second but Hamilton nails Gasly and is in behind!
Lap 69/71 Off goes the safety car, and we’re going to have two laps of mania!
Lap 69/71 There’s bare debris on the track, so no chance of a swift restart. I’d love to check out Ferrari’s team meeting, because Vettel and Leclerc will have some opinions.
Lap 69/71 Presumably this is now going to be a safety-car finish, in which case Mercedes have pitted Hamilton off the podium! We can laugh, and so can he given he’s champion ... but being a champion means not finding stuff like that laughable.
Lap 68/71 So who was at fault for that carash? Vettel seemed to blame Leclerc, but it was he who moved off the line, though in a sense both are unlucky - the contact was so minor, it’s amazing that it’s caused so much damage to both cars.
Updated
Lap 67/71 Hamilton pits, and all of a sudden we’re going to have i don’t even know what! We might get some extra laps, but Hamilton is now fourth; how’s he improving on second from there, in whatever’s left?
Vettel and Leclerc clash, a puncture apiece, and both are out of the race! Back comes the safety car!
Lap 66/71 Leclerc diddles Vettel down the inside! That’s very nice ... but they get close, kiss sides, and BOTH ARE OUT OF THE RACE!
Lap 65/71 This race is over as far as first place goes, but there’s all manner of shenaniga going on behind them. Vettel defends and attack from Leclerc, as does Giovinazzi from Ricciardo.
Lap 64/71 Vettel has DRS and he hacks at Albon! This is Albon’s first go up top with the big dawgs and he’s handling it well! He closes the door!
Lap 63/71 3.071s the lead now, and Hamilton only has 0.783s on Albon. Vettel and Leclerc are both within striking distance ... and
Lap 62/71 Verstappen leads by 2.45s and it’s hard to see Hamilton closing that gap - there’s more chance he gets diddled by Albon, I’d say.
Lap 61/71 That pit was a great call by Red Bull. Hamilton just couldn’t keep up, though we need to say that Verstappen drove a gorgeous bend to force them home.
Lap 61/71 That was brilliant by Verstappen, and behind him, Albon nails Vettel and Leclerc to take third! And now he goes for Hamilton!
Lap 60/71 Verstappen goes! He bousts around the outside, Hamilton fights back, they’re wheel to wheel, and Verstappen has the legs on him! Verstappen leads! What a call from Red Bull!
Updated
Lap 60/71 “Come on mate, you’ve done this once already on the same compound,” Verstappen is told. Hamilton tries to back him into Vettel and off they go!
Lap 59/71 The safety car will go away at the end of this lap. Hamilton is not pleased with his predicament.
Lap 59/71 Christian Horner says Mercedes would’ve done the opposite of whatever his team did, so they took the attacking option, conceding place for pace.
Lap 58/71 We’ve gone from not needing a safety car to having one on for TIME. Another two laps more, reckon commentary, on the basis that it’s a short circuit and the way needs to be clear for everyone.
Lap 58/71 When this gets going again, Hamilton won’t just have Verstappen on his arse - Vettel and Leclerc also have the tyres and speed to get into him.
Updated
Lap 57/71 “The safety car needs to speed up, man - jeez,” Hamilton tells his team.
Lap 56/71 Verstappen is on softs, and is desperate to see the back of the safety car to deploy his advantage. What a race this is going to be! What a race this is!
Updated
Lap 56/71 Hamilton leads, and it looks like the two cars between them will move out of the way when the safety car does one. That’s going to be a while, though.
Lap 55/71 Whos going to pit ... Hamilton or Verstappen? It’s Verstappen! Will he have the pace to chase him down?
Out comes the safety car!
Lap 54/71 Bottas did a good job, but nonetheless it comes out, and it’s going to be a sprint!
Lap 53/71 Hamilton has taken the lead down to 0.981! He’s nearly in DRS range, but Verstappen says he didn’t slow down enough for the yellow flags! More on that presently!
Lap 52/71 Smoke coming out the back of Bottas’s car, but he smashes the gas anyway, nabbing the DRS to have a shy at Leclerc ... but he can’t get by and that’s that for him! He pulls out of the race and parks up safely to avoid a safety car situation.
Lap 51/71 Albon pits, so Leclerc moves up to fourth and Bottas to fifth. Meanwhile, Hamilton whittles Verstappen’s lead down to 1.149s...
Lap 50/71 Vettel and Ferrari realise it’s hopeless and pit. Verstappen now leads, by 1.520s from Hamilton. He then extends the gap to 1.624, and looks good for the W.
Lap 49/71 Bottas, in sixth, has a go at Leclerc with DRS and looks like he’s making it count ... but no! Excellent defence from Leclerc, but Bottas has a pace issue.
Lap 49/71 Verstappen will be on Vettel in one lap’s time; “needs more power,” Hmailton tells his team. That’s not one you hear often.
Lap 48/71 Verstappen sets a personal best lap for the race that’s quicker than Hamilton by 0.3. Vettel is not long for this lead.
Updated
Lap 47/71 Hamilton and Verstappen are lapping a second quicker than Vettel, and Hmailton is lapping 0.2 quicker than Verstappen.
Lap 46/71 Mercedes did well to get in first - the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen is less than it was before the stops. Vettel leads by 5.391...
Lap 45/71 In goes Verstappen and that’s another bazzing stop, 1.9s, and he exits the pits ahead of Hamilton, who also has Magnussen to contend with - he’s between them. Vettel now leads; do his tyres have the pace to keep him in front for another 26 laps?
Lap 44/71 Hammertime! Hamilton gets out ahead of Albon, in third, and Verstappen will surely respond immediately.
Lap 44/71 And Hamilton goes in! Can they get it done before Albon, in fourth, goes through the Senna S?
Lap 43/71 Verstappen leads by 2.814s, as Hamilton asks his team What’re you waiting for?” He’s had enough and wants to come in.
Lap 42/71 Bottas goes first! He’s on hards now, and comes out in sixth, ahead of Gasly. That’s good news for Red Bull, because he’s not now in Verstappen’s way
Lap 41/71 The next round of stops will decide this race - who’ll blink first? Hamilton is still complaining about his tyres, so perhaps it’ll be him.
Lap 40/71 Verstappen ploughs on, and it’s windy.
Lap 39/71 Bottas loses some pace - great news for Verstappen. The gap is 23s or so, and might Red Bull bring him in now while the going’s good?
Lap 38/71 Verstappen has to get through maybe ten more laps before he pits, and hasn’t opened enough of a lead over Bottas to be sure of coming out in front of him. That’s a right boon for Hamilton and Vettel.
Lap 37/71
- Verstappen
- Hamilton
- Vettel
- Bottas
- Albon
- Leclerc
- Gasly
- Raikkonen
- Giovinazzi
- Perez
Lap 36/71 Vettel can’t make an impression - he’s 12.889 behind Verstappen, and Bottas in fourth is 22.104s down. That’s a nice pit-stop window for the leader.
Updated
Lap 35/71 We hit halfway and if Hamilton goes in now he’ll come out ahead of Leclerc. He does not.
Lap 34/71 Might Mercedes bring Hamilton in soon to stick him on hards? If they leave alone, he’s relying on others suffering to win.
Lap 33/71 Hamilton lost half a second on the previous lap and his tyres are looking a little ragged.
Lap 32/71 Verstappen is a proper threat next term, I’d say. Mercedes can’t rely on Hamilton’s driving - they need to work on their speed down the straights.
Lap 31/71 One good stop might do it for Verstappen here, because Vettel isn’t really closing the distance. Hamilton will need some kind of mechanical or driver error to compete by the looks of things ... but we can’t be underestimating his brilliance.
Lap 30/71 Leclerc is told to follow “Plan C” and then pits, changing to hards - they’ll be expected to carry him home, I shouldn’t wonder. Verstappen leads by 2.317s, with Vettel 12.808s behind.
Lap 29/71 “I think we’ve gone for the wrong tyre,” Hmailton tells his team. We should be on the medium. And as if to prove his point, Vettel, on mediums, records the fastest lap of the race and takes out Leclerc, who’s yet to pit.
Lap 28/71 As we thought: on the radio, Hamilton tells his team he can’t keep up with Verstappen, but he’s actually going faster through the middle section of the lap.
Lap 27/71 In goes Bottas and Verstappen now leads by 2.128s. That’s a pretty nifty gap because it’s hard to see how Hamilton finds the pace to get by him; Vettel, with hsi one-stop strategy, almost seems a likelier challenger now.
Lap 26/71 Vettel goes in, and might just manage a one-stopper. Meanwhile, Bottas leads by 0.582 and Verstappen is behind ready to nail him with the DRS.
Lap 25/71
1. Vettel
2. Bottas
3. Verstappen
4. Hamilton
5. Leclerc
6. Albon
7. Grosjean
8. Norris
9. Sainz Jr
10. Stroll
Lap 24/71 We see the Kubica intervention again, and that was very naughty from Williams - we could see it happening, so you can be sure his team did BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF BECAUSE HAMILTON HAS DRS AND HE NAILS VERSTAPPEN ON THE INSIDE BUT VERSTAPPEN CLOSES THE DOOR!
Lap 23/71 Here we go! Hamilton zooms by Leclerc ...but Verstappen does too! AND NOW VERSTAPPEN NAILS HAMILTON TOO! Hamilton tires to fight back with the DRS but he can’t, and might that be the race?!
Updated
Lap 22/71 Verstappen goes in and that’s a brilliant change! Out he goes, on used softs - the ones he saved from qualifying - BUT WILLIAMS RELEASE KUBICA INTO HIS PATH! HE’S BEHIND HAMILTON!
Lap 21/71 “Don’t miss this shot” Hamilton tells his team and he goes into the pits! He puts on softs - used softs! - so he’ll definitely be stopping twice! Meanwhile, Verstappen is having grief with Russell and Kubica as he laps them, and he and his team need to decide whether or not to come in. Surely they’ll come in?
Lap 20/71 Lets have a rundown:
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Vettel
4. Bottas
5. Albon
6. Leclerc
7. Gasly
8. Raikkonen
Updated
Lap 19/71 Verstappen is losing patience with his tyres and the back of his car is moving around. Hamilton isn’t quite yet the favourite, but things are tilting his way.
Lap 18/71 It’s reckoned that Hamilton will be able to go four or five laps longer than Verstappen, but for the time being he’s not making inroads into a lead that’s back up at 2.402s.
Updated
Lap 17/71 Vettel’s Ferrari is starting to struggle on its tyres. He’s 4.202s behind Verstappen.
Lap 16/71 Elsewhere, Harold Winks has given England the lead in Kosovo. You can follow that one here.
Lap 15/71 In commentary, they speculate that Verstappen’s vibration is what has encouraged Hamilton, while Ricciardo is give a five-second penalty for that Magnussen affair.
Lap 14/71 It looks like Hamilton wants to have a go at Verstappen, and has trimmed his lead to roughly two seconds.
Lap 13/71 “Who do you think is more likely to be be a future world champion - Verstappen or Leclerc?” asks @TAFKABB. “Or one of the other young guns? Austin?”
I reckon Verstappen will be the closest challenger next season - Leclerc still has a lot to learn, though the speed and skill are obviosly in place.
Lap 12/71 Verstappen says he’s picked up some vibration on the left front, but in general is happy with his tyres. I’m kind of surprised he’s not extending his lead but perhaps is trying to savr the car.
Lap 11/71 Verstappen leads Hamilton by 2.358s, with Vettel roughly the same behind him.
Updated
9/71 As a result of that little tussle, Magnussen is down to 18th and Ricciardo is last. Leclerc, meanwhile, gains on Gasly... and that’s him into sixth! His car is an absolute unit.
Lap 8/71 Ricciardo has a chunk of front wing hanging off! Magnussen squeezed him into a turn, he spun uphill and off the track, and that’ll be a pit situation.
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Lap 8/71 Ricciardo, in 14th, is worrying Magnussen ahead of him. I thought Ricciardo might be the next driver to make it happen, but at the moment we’re looking at Leclerc and Verstappen.
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Lap 7/71 Leclerc gets behind Raikkonen, into his slip, bit of assistance, and that’s an easy pass! He’s seventh now, and is on a right old boust.
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Lap 6/71 In commentary, they just think that Verstappen and his car are quick, especially in the middle of the lap. In fifth, Albon is gaining on Bottas - there’s a second or so between them.
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Lap 5/71 Leclerc nails Grosjean and is up to eighth now. Given a fair wind, he will be special.
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Lap 4/71 Verstappen leads by 2.483.
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Lap 3/71 Hamilton has told his team he thinks Verstappen is going for it, so is on a two-stop strategy. I doubt Hamilton will think he can go as quickly, so will try to it in a oner and hope the time saved is enough.
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Lap 3/71 Leclerc is now up to tenth after a battle with Norris; since taking him out, he’s also taken Giovinazzi.
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Lap 2/71 Hamilton’s move to get around Vettel on the outside was very nice indeed.
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Lap 1/71 Leclerc is up to 13th already, and then he gets by Norris.
1. Verstappen
2. Hamilton
3. Vettel
4. Bottas
5. Albon
6. Gasly
7. Grosjean
8. Raikkonen
Updated
Lap 1/71 Verstappen pulls away as Hamilton has to defend from Vettel but we’re set for a serious old ding-dong!
Updated
Lap 1/71 Red red red red ... and out! Vettel gets away well but Verstappen shuts him off ... and Hamilton diddles Vettel!
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Right then, eyes down!
Every driver in the top 10 is in soft compounds; the formation lap begins.
Updated
We’re nearly there...
Five of the last six races here have been won by the driver who started in pole. Given Verstappen’s speed too, it’ll take something nifty or wild to stop him.
“Lewis Hamilton induing rancour in Bernie Ecclestone,” emails Charlie Rossiter. “ Add to reasons to be cheerful!”
Ha! It was a very odd deal - he was set up with a closed question, effectively: Hamilton winning is great for British motorsport - and for some reason couldn’t bring himself to answer “yes”.
Gasly, who’s sixth on the grid, says conditions are very different from yesterday - it’s 16, 17 degrees hotter, he’s told, but in his opinion the difference is even more notable.
Rubens Barichello says he used to live five minutes away from the track when he was a kid, and he misses not competing. He hopes that one day, his son will be involved.
Bernard Ecclestone thinks it’ll be a good race and can’t see a reason why it won’t be. He thinks Vettel will win and hopes they all get around the first corner safely. He’s not sure it’s good that Lewis Hamilton won his sixth title - I’m sensing rancour.
Max Verstappen is “feeling good”. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for him.
Anthem time. Low-key banger, this one.
Alex Albon is further back than he’d like but hopes to do something. Robert Kubica is “kind of looking forward to it” - he says he’s had a tough second half of the year, and it’s hot, and it’s windy. Otherwise, it’s all good.
Someone from Mercedes says they’re struggling with qualifying and straight-line speed, but hope to get it sorted over the break.
Christian Horner compares the start here - ok, “here” - to that at Brands Hatch, with a slope, and says that Mercedes are quick but his team have a good chance of winning.
Martin Brundle is about to go around talking to people wishing ill upon him.
Morality question: someone has left a packet of milk chocolate Hobnobs “in the usual place”. How many is it acceptable for me to cleanse?
a) 1-6
b) all of them, snooze you lose
What do you get if you cross a car with packet of tabs? Genius.
F1 would’ve been a doddle for Andrew Windsor, given his imperviousness to sweating.
Please excuse me. Sky are showing us some Senna porn.
The crowd look, er, amped.
Get into the mood.
The grid
1. Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Vettel (Ferrari)
3. Hamilton (Mercedes)
4. Bottas (Mercedes)
5. Albon (Red Bull)
6. Gasly (Toro Rosso)
7. Grosjean (Haas)
8. Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
9. Magnussen (Haas)
10. Norris (McLaren)
11 Ricciardo (Renault)
12. Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
13. Hulkenberg (Renault)
14. Leclerc (Ferrari)
15. Perez (Racing Point)
16. Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
17. Stroll (Racing Point)
18. Russell (Williams)
19 Kubica (Williams)
20. Sainz Jr (McLaren)
Preamble
We’ve got two races of this season still to go, but next season is already underway. Can anyone show Lewis Hamilton that they’ll close the gap, never mind best him over the stretch?
Max Verstappen might just have the talent, and he’s getting closer to having the car. His Red Bull has carried him to pole, and a decent winter in the factory will at least put him in with a chance when it all goes off again.
But, in the meantime, he’ll fancy himself today. He was about to win Interlagos last term until, hilariously, Esteban Ocon tried to unlap himself and ended up shunting the leader off the track. Ahahahahahahaha! Excuse me. Words and handbags were later exchange, and we can only hope for more of the same today.
Flag: 5.10pm GMT, 3.10pm local time
