F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint: Russell wins the final Sprint race of the season in Sao Paulo

Total times read this article : 3

George Russell claimed the first win of his budding Formula One career as he took the chequered flag in the third and final sprint race of the 2022 season in Brazil.

Starting P3 on the grid, the British driver had the pace to get past Max Verstappen to lead the race halfway through, a position he held onto with ease for the remainder of the event.

He had tried and failed to pass the two-time world champion on a number of occasions to no avail but picked his line onto the back straight perfectly to get past the Red Bull with the advantage of his quicker soft tyres compared to Verstappen’s mediums.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz flew up the order to claim P2, whilst Russell’s teammate Lewis Hamilton rounded out the podium places in P3.

Sainz will take a five place penalty for tomorrow’s race due to his decision to take new engine parts on Friday which means that Mercedes will lock out the front row for tomorrow’s Grand Prix in Brazil – the first time that’s happened this season. 

Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Kevin Magnussen all picked up valuable points as they delivered a fantastic spectacle around the famous Interlagos circuit. 

MORE: What is F1 Sprint? Schedule, points & how new Formula 1 qualifying format works

F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint results

Position Driver Points
1 George Russell 8
2 Carlos Sainz 7
3 Lewis Hamilton 6
4 Max Verstappen 5
5 Sergio Perez 4
6 Charles Leclerc 3
7 Lando Norris 2
8 Kevin Magnussen 1
9 Sebastian Vettel  
10 Pierre Gasly  
11 Daniel Ricciardo  
12 Mick Schumacher  
13 Zhou Guanyu  
14 Valtteri Bottas  
15 Fernando Alonso  
16 Yuki Tsunoda  
17 Lance Stroll  
18 Esteban Ocon  
19 Nicholas Latifi  
DNF Alex Albon  

F1 Brazilian Sprint commentary, highlights: As it happened

CHEQUERED FLAG: Russell wins the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint Race!! It’s the Brit’s first win of any description in Formula One and picks up eight crucial championship points. 

His battle with Verstappen midway through the action was fantastic viewing. Sainz and Hamilton round out the podium with Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Norris and Magnussen rounding out the points paying positions. 

Lap 22: Three laps to go then here in Brazil. Russell leads from Sainz and Hamilton at present. Verstappen, Perez, Leclerc, Norris and Magnussen currently round out the points paying positions. 

Lap 19: Sainz gets past Verstappen at the first corner but it’s not the cleanest move. 

The Spaniard pushed his way past the world champion and it’s cost the Dutchman his front wing. Hamilton now gets past him to get up into P3. 

Lap 16: In all the commotion, Williams’ Alex Albon is out of the race and Stroll has been given a ten second penalty for a dangerous manoeuvre for nearly pushing his teammate out of this race. 

Lap 15: Russell takes the lead in São Paulo!!! 

Verstappen is definitely struggling on the medium tyres and after fighting off the pressure for a few laps, he finally succumbs to it as the Mercedes man flies off into the distance. 

Lap 13: It’s an almighty fight for the lead of this race between Verstappen and Russell. 

The British driver has had two or three really good looks at the lead but the world champion fights him off each time. It’s absolutely phenomenal racing! 

Lap 10: Speaking of teammates colliding, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel nearly take each other off the track. 

The German veteran tried to pass his colleague down the inside but Stroll nearly pushed him straight into the barriers. Very frosty. 

Lap 8: Alonso has been forced to pit for a new wing after colliding with his teammate on the opening lap and his race barring a miracle is already run as he comes back out right at the back of the pack. 

The two Alpine drivers are definitely not the best of friends at the moment.. 😬

Lap 6: And there it is, Hamilton jumps Magnussen into P4. Haas’ dream of winning this sprint race has very move deflated already! 

Lap 5: Magnussen continues to fall as Sainz now jumps him up into P3. Hamilton is roaring behind as well, he’s up to P5 from P8 already. That’s likely to be P4 for very soon.. 

Lap 4: Russell pulls exactly the same move that Verstappen did the lap before and the Mercedes man is now up to P2. 

Lap 3: Verstappen overtakes Magnussen to lead the Brazilian sprint! The Dutchman gains all the way down the start/finish straight and gets past the Dane at the first corner.  

LIGHTS OUT: We’re underway here in São Paulo and Magnussen gets away beautifully to lead the race. 

There’s drama behind as Russell nearly gets passed Verstappen, who’s the only one out there on mediums, whilst Alpine teammates Ocon and Alonso touch at turn four. That was close! 

2 mins to lights out: We’re off for the formation lap ahead of the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint Race! 

15 minutes to lights out: All the drivers head out onto the track to line up for the third and final Sprint Race of the season.

Not long to go now until we’re underway in Brazil!

30 minutes to lights out: Even though Max Verstappen has already claimed the drivers championship and Red Bull the constructors, this Sprint Race could have huge implications on the race for second spot in the drivers world championship.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez currently leads the way in that regard from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by four points, and even though both are unlikely to score many points today in the sprint as they start P9 and P10, they’ll want a strong finish to start higher up the grid for tomorrow’s race. 

45 minutes to lights out: Speaking of shocks, Alpine are certainly a team to watch during the Sprint Race this afternoon. 

The French team led the way through Esteban Ocon in FP2 just a few hours ago, whilst his teammate Fernando Alonso finished 4th in the same session. They start P6 and P7 respectively for this race and will be looking to pressure the front runners from the off in São Paulo. 

1 hour to lights out: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News‘ coverage of the 2022 Brazilian Sprint which will set the grid for tomorrow’s Grand Prix! 

Kevin Magnussen starts on pole but will the Haas man be able to stay out in front for long? 

How to watch the 2022 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint race

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date Saturday, Nov 12 Saturday, Nov 12 Saturday, Nov 12 Sunday, Nov 13
Time 19:30 GMT 14:30 ET 14:30 ET 06:30 AEDT
TV channel Sky Sports F1 ESPN TSN FOX SPORTS
Facebook Comments Box

Hits: 0

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR