Brazilian Grand Prix – Editor’s Tops/Flops

The top picks from the editorial team of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

George Russell, the almost flawless one.

With his victories in the sprint on Saturday, in the race on Sunday, and the fastest lap, totaling 34 points, the weekend couldn’t have been more perfect for George Russell. Starting in pole position on Sunday, the British driver controlled his race without making any mistakes to secure his first Formula 1 victory. He also did not falter under the pressure from his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was never far behind. Apart from a stint in the gravel during Friday’s qualifying session, George Russell was impeccable throughout the entire weekend in Sao Paulo.

And how can we mention George Russell’s feat without highlighting the impressive pace of Mercedes, who clinched their first one-two finish of the season. The German team almost always had a step ahead of their rivals, somewhat reminiscent of their dominance over the past eight years. Although it took until the second half of the season, or even the end of it, for Mercedes to make a comeback, these performances bode well for next year. And above all, Toto Wolff’s team dangerously closed the gap with Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, trailing the Italians by only 19 points with one race to go.

Kevin Magnussen’s pole position for the sprint race.

George Russell’s performance on Sunday almost overshadowed Kevin Magnussen’s, but let’s not forget that the Danish driver achieved a real feat with his Haas. He secured the first pole position for the American team – and for a Danish driver, by the way – during the sprint race qualifying on Friday. Kevin Magnussen never doubted for a moment and made the best of the available conditions. Unfortunately, on Saturday, he couldn’t resist the pressure from his competitors, but he still finished in the points, in eighth position. It was on Sunday that misfortune struck him, in the form of Daniel Ricciardo, who collided with him at the start, forcing both cars to retire. A very sad conclusion to a strong weekend. Surprises like this are what we would like to see more often.

The shape of Alpine and the comeback of Fernando Alonso.

Alpine has been much talked about this weekend, and not necessarily for the best reasons. The French team had a real ordeal on Saturday during the sprint race, as its two drivers collided twice, even causing a fire on Esteban Ocon’s car. Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, sharply criticized the Frenchman, making it clear that all of this would soon no longer be his problem. Good atmosphere at Alpine.

But on Sunday, the Spaniard somewhat made up for it, in multiple ways. Firstly, by securing the 5th position after making an impressive comeback from 17th place, and resisting the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez. The Asturian even got close to Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, finishing just over a second behind it. And then, in an interview with Canal+, Fernando Alonso half-heartedly apologized for the collision with Ocon on Saturday. Confession is good for the soul, right? In any case, with 14 points gathered by both cars in the race, Alpine has somewhat distanced itself from its pursuer McLaren, which suffered two retirements. These were good opportunities seized to get a little closer to the 4th place in the constructor standings.

The failures of the editorial team of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen’s behavior towards his teammate

As the race was nearing its end, Max Verstappen was ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez. The latter is in a tight battle with Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings to secure second place. And with only one last race in Brazil remaining, every point counts for both the Mexican and the Monégasque. On the other hand, Max Verstappen has already secured his second world championship title and has nothing to lose. Sergio Pérez, in 7th place, therefore asks his team to swap positions in order to accumulate the maximum number of points, while Charles Leclerc is currently in fourth place. The engineer of the Dutch driver relays the message to him over the radio, but the world champion categorically refuses to give up his position. The Mexican is – understandably – disgusted, stating that Verstappen owes his two titles to him and that he has just shown his true colors. Things are getting heated at Red Bull.

The double abandonment of McLaren

McLaren will have to learn from a disastrous Sunday. Both cars were involved in race accidents, each time being held responsible, and were forced to retire. First, Daniel Ricciardo collided with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, ruining his weekend that had started off brilliantly. Then, Lando Norris caused an accident with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, causing the latter to drop down the rankings. Fortunately, the Monegasque was able to continue the race and eventually climbed up the grid to finish in fourth position. The Briton also remained on the track, but a technical issue a few laps later forced him to throw in the towel. As a result, many points were lost in the constructors’ standings, while Alpine strengthens its position as fourth in the championship, with a 19-point lead.

AlphaTauri completely overwhelmed, once again.

The more the season goes on, the more AlphaTauri confirms that this year is indeed an annus horribilis. The points gathered race after race are very – too – scarce, and this Brazilian Grand Prix is no exception. Yuki Tsunoda was thus the 17th and last driver to cross the finish line at Interlagos, behind Nicholas Latifi and with a lap behind the winner, George Russell. On his side, Pierre Gasly did not do much better, finishing in 14th place behind Mick Schumacher. AlphaTauri simply isn’t there and now finds itself second-to-last in the constructors’ championship, two points behind Haas. Last year, Red Bull’s little sister had secured 6th place at the end of the season…