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Safety car deployed<\/h2>\n
In the 4th lap, Tsunoda brakes a bit too hard at the first turn of the circuit and sees the door shut by Lance Stroll, who makes contact between the two cars. The collision scatters debris at the first turn close to the drivers’ trajectory, but no safety car comes out on track despite the immediate risk of puncture.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Hamilton is gradually moving up to Bottas, who gives up his place to him: He is already in third position and only Sergio Perez, 2 seconds behind, is holding him back from Max Verstappen for the victory.<\/p>\n
The safety car is finally deployed after three laps in these conditions. The drivers all pass through the pit lane allowing the marshals to recover the debris.<\/p>\n
After four laps behind the safety car, the safety car lights go out and the drivers are released back onto the track. Strategically, the two Red Bulls are then ahead of the two Mercedes, and Verstappen waits until the last moment to accelerate just on the straight line of the circuit. The two Red Bulls manage to keep their positions.<\/p>\n
On this rolling start, Mick Schumacher makes contact with Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen’s Alfa Romeo and loses his front wing – once again scattering debris on the track and triggering a virtual safety car this time.<\/p>\n
The exchange with Perez<\/h2>\n
On the 18th lap, Lewis Hamilton manages to slipstream Sergio Perez and overtakes the Mexican at the first corner, who miraculously manages to regain the lead over Lewis Hamilton in the following straight line.<\/p>\n
The Mercedes driver tries his luck again the next lap and this time manages to hold onto his position after overtaking Sergio Perez in the Red Bull.<\/p>\n
After 19 laps, Max Verstappen is in first place, 3 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who started from 10th position.<\/p>\n
Sergio Perez is 3rd in front of Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and finally Esteban Ocon on the Alpine who is 10th – the last in the points.<\/p>\n
The first tire changes<\/h2>\n
Pierre Gasly is the first to pit to put on hard tires on the 26th lap. Lewis Hamilton follows him the next lap as his tires were starting to degrade: The Englishman tries the undercut with a very good pit stop executed in 2.4 seconds.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton leaves the pits in 6th position while Red Bull also calls Max Verstappen to the box to cover Hamilton’s stop.<\/p>\n
The Red Bull driver comes out of the pit lane with a 1.7-second lead over Hamilton’s Mercedes. The latter was hindered in the first turn by Daniel Ricciardo as he tried to overtake him. He finally gains the position over the latter on the second straight line of the circuit thanks to the DRS and resumes his climb towards Verstappen.<\/p>\n
New virtual safety car<\/h2>\n
Lance Stroll, who had had a clash with Yuki Tsunoda a few laps earlier, loses debris from his floor in the middle of the straight. A new virtual safety car is deployed. This is the ideal moment for Valtteri Bottas, who is currently leading, to pit, taking advantage of the slowed pace of the other drivers who have already changed tires. This allows him to come out in 3rd position and regain a position on Perez. The virtual safety car only lasted a few turns.<\/p>\n
Gap stabilized during the 2nd relay.<\/h2>\n
The two leading drivers maintain a gap of around 1.3 seconds for about ten laps. Hamilton then saves his battery to try to get closer to the Red Bull again a few laps later as they approach lapped cars.<\/p>\n
Plot twist on lap 41 when Verstappen decides to pit. Lewis Hamilton decides to stay out on track and it’s Valtteri Bottas who pits.<\/p>\n
“I think we just threw an easy double away in the trash,” comments Bottas on the radio.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Mercedes eventually calls Lewis Hamilton to the pit two laps later. He comes out several seconds behind Verstappen.<\/p>\n
First battle between the two giants<\/h2>\n
On lap 48, Hamilton manages to get close enough to Verstappen to be in the DRS zone and attempt an overtaking maneuver – not on the first straight line – but on the second one. Max Verstappen brakes very late and pushes Lewis Hamilton wide. Both drivers are forced to cut through the runoff area and the grass and although the incident is noted by the stewards, no investigation is opened.<\/p>\n
\nLe freinage tardif de Verstappen lors de la premi\u00e8re tentative de d\u00e9passement d’Hamilton #BrazilianGP<\/a> #F1<\/a> #MV33<\/a> #LH44<\/a>. <\/p>\n
La twittosph\u00e8re en pense quoi ? \ud83d\ude1b pic.twitter.com\/xHi3iVfRd6<\/a><\/p>\n