Hamilton fights past Verstappen to win Sao Paulo GP

2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix summary

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Lewis Hamilton overcame his exclusion from qualifying and five-place grid penalty for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to claim his sixth victory of 2021 and keep himself in the championship hunt.

After finishing fifth in sprint qualifying, Hamilton lined up from 10th for Sunday’s race as he had a penalty for putting in a new engine for this weekend.

It only took him a lap to get up to sixth, and he then went down the inside of Carlos Sainz Jnr at turn one on lap three to move into fifth. Sainz’s Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc was the next car he picked off.

Hamilton’s Mercedes team mate Valtteri Bottas soon let him through too. He was now into third behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but there was already a big gap to overcome.

Hamilton’s job was made easier when a lunge by Yuki Tsunoda into Lance Stroll at turn one resulted in his front wing behind left behind on the track and the Safety Car being summoned while the wing was picked up. That reduced the gap of 3.5 seconds between Perez and Hamilton, but the Mercedes driver couldn’t attack on the restart.

A second chance came with a Virtual Safety Car period as Haas’s Mick Schumacher lost his front wing. Perez got the jump as the VSC ended, but the combination of Hamilton’s superior straight-line speed and the strength of the slipstream meant that on lap 18 he was able to lunge around the outside of him at the opening corner.

Perez remained close enough to use the DRS and get back ahead at turn four, but Hamilton repeated his move on the next lap and stayed ahead. The gaps then grew between leader Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez and Bottas until the first pit stop cycle began.

Hamilton was first of the lead group to switch from the medium compound to the hards on lap 26, with Verstappen and Perez doing so in the next two laps and then Bottas waiting longest as he aimed for the overcut. However he was called in on lap 30 as another VSC period began due to Stroll’s car shedding bodywork, and it meant Bottas could lose less time by pitting. He took the opportunity, and came out in third ahead of Perez.

The Mercedes was a faster car on the hard compound, and Hamilton closed the gap to Verstappen. Red Bull pitted their driver before he lost the lead to an overtake, and he lost a bit of time as Williams’ Nicholas Latifi emerged in front of him in the pit lane.

Mercedes responded by pitting Bottas, a move which he questioned the strategic value of as he exited behind Leclerc in fifth. Verstappen set a new fastest lap on his fresh tyres, and was going over a second per lap faster than Hamilton, and Perez pitted to make use of the same pace advantage.

Hamilton wanted to stay out as long as possible and then switch back to the medium compound, but Mercedes’ evaluation of the set he used in the first stint of the race suggested they would wear too quickly and summoned him on lap 43, three laps after Verstappen, for a second set of hard tyres.

The top two positions swapped, and the pair went into the final stint 2.6s apart. Perez took fastest lap off his team mate after passing Leclerc to get back into fourth, before Hamilton broke into the 1’11 territory and the gap to the lead shrunk to six tenths of a second.

On lap 48 the top two converged, and Hamilton used DRS to get onto the rear of Verstappen on the straight to turn four. He squeezed into a gap on the right of Verstappen, but as they entered the corner all of the asphalt was used up the championship leader and Hamilton had to open his steering to avoid a collision. Both ran way off the track, and as they rejoined Hamilton lost time as his squirmed with dirty tyres.

The stewards didn’t deem the incident worth investigating, but it put a pause on the lead fight for another 10 laps before Hamilton tried the outside of turn four again. This time he cleared Verstappen, despite the Red Bull weaving in defence, and from thereon the race victory was headed to Mercedes.

Verstappen dropped 10 seconds in the remaining 13 laps, and finished just under four seconds clear of Bottas, while Red Bull pitted Perez for a third time with two laps to go in an attempt to reclaim fastest lap.

Leclerc and Sainz stayed on the medium tyres when they pitted for the first time, and Leclerc overcut the rest of the front-runners to finish fifth. Sainz came sixth, while Pierre Gasly made an ambitious move on Alpine’s Esteban Ocon after his second pit stop to claim seventh.

Ocon led home his team mate Fernando Alonso in eighth, and McLaren’s Lando Norris picked up the final point in 10th despite dropping to the back and pitting on lap one with a puncture after colliding with Sainz at the start. On the other side of the McLaren garage it was even more stressful, as power unit problems hampered Daniel Ricciardo and eventually led to him retiring.

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2021 Sao Paulo Grand Prix reaction

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Author information

Ida Wood
Often found in junior single-seater paddocks around Europe doing journalism and television commentary, or dabbling in teaching photography back in the UK. Currently based...

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120 comments on “Hamilton fights past Verstappen to win Sao Paulo GP”

  1. Aaaaaand it is because of such drives Lewis is loved all over. Brazilian fans were so supportive of Lewis which was a surprise and a welcome change after so much booing at some races.
    Now only if Bottas can pick up the pace this championship will get very very interesting.

    1. The cheer of the crowd was far louder when Checo repassed Hamilton.

      1. yawn MaddMe, the crowd loves close racing and overtakes, nothing to do with favoring Checo and hating Lewis but i guess that does not fit your anti Lewis bias does it?
        Also Maybe the crowd respects Lewis not because of the Senna connection but because they RESPECT a driver who puts on a show? Regardless of his politics even the most bitter anti-Lewis brigade would admit without Lewis F1 would be dull like the 2001-2004 fia supported MS domination era.

        Maybe Max should learn a lesson in close fair racing and not forcing Lewis into avoiding maneuvers to prevent a crash (a 0 pointer for him and Lewis would benefit him in the WDC race…)

        1. Ummm…what Senna connection??? Because Hamilton liked Senna that means there’s some sort of connection? LoL

          1. He goes through quite some effort to claim that yes. While his driving has little to do with Senna. Max is more like Senna to that regard. But you don’t have to have similar driving styles to love the man. Any driver not liking Senna can leave as far as I am concerned. I’d take Senna’s over processional prosts, schumachers and lewis’ anytime.

        2. Senna is dead, he’s not connected to Lewis in any way. Not only that, he was a very, very different character. As for being pro-Lewis or anti-Lewis, I think that kind of thinking is shallow, but that’s just my view. No one is black or white (I don’t speak of race, race talk doesn’t belong in XXI century), but grey. I think this is more about the British wondering why the rest of the world sees them differently than they do. Of course most of you support your own drivers, but to the rest of us they are just regular foreigners, sometimes full of themselves for some reason (or not, like Button for example). F1 is mostly British, many of us watch British coverage want it or not, we’re bombarded by British patriotism and support for Lewis and all other British drivers, I think that sometimes pushes us to support everyone else just because it’s irritating. But then, it would probably be the same the other way around, so it’s nothing personal.

      2. That overtake was way more impressive because of the short straight.

        1. @mg1982 No it wasn’t. I was much easier.

    2. Hamilton is well liked in Brazil, but when you speak the magic word ‘Senna’ every now and then it gets to a whole new level.

      1. Especially when you’ve been mentioning the name Senna since you were eight years old.

      2. What’s the connection between Lewis and Senna? Senna is admired by many drivers, so he is no exception.

    3. Now only if Bottas can pick up the pace this championship will get very very interesting.

      1st, they better let him be on his own. He’s just an appendice to HAM, Austria 2002 means nothing anymore. I don’t think another driver ever slowed down so much in order to give up his position. Starting to wonder for how much more FIA/stewards is letting this continue in such blatant way. The brainwash we witness is barely acceptable anymore. No word on these tactics by Mercedes, yet the international idiot Martin Brundle called RBR pathetic for pitting Perez in order to take the FL point. That may be help to VER, but it’s indirect, main thing is that the point and the palmares went to Perez and RBR… so absolutely nothing wrong with that with this kind of help.

    4. Yes, a new engine certainly brought back memories of the last 8 years. They will take a new engine for each of the last 3 races and win comfortably. Don’t let the Mercedes errors of the beginning of the season trick you into believing RB had a fast car this year. The season was equal to the past 7 ones bar Max Verstappen. Unbelievable to see how one man can make the whole Mercedes team so nervous they almost gave the championship away. Quite funny when you think of it. But also understandable when you havent had competition for 7 years straight! Anyway, as his entire career: great drive by Lewis with an unfair advantage car wise.

    5. No game.

      Let me make a prediction, and then you can tell me if it’s the driver or the car:

      Mercedes are going to put in a new engine every race, claiming reliability issues.

      Smart, yes.

      But if they do it that way, one should seriously consider who won and who lost… Mercedes? Yes. Hamilton or the support? No.

      It’s a pity because, even if I don’t like Hamilton, i do admit he’s a good driver. But now we’ll never know if he won thanks to the engine or to his driving…

  2. For all of those who worship Ayrton Senna da Silva and bash Max Verstappen for doing this: HYPOCRITES and RELIGIOUS.

    1. Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean

      1. 🤣🤣🤣

  3. It’s on

    1. I’d say it’s over. Mercedes back on form. They got distracted since one of the remaining 18 cars showed a hint of also being fast this year. But they are past their panic attack now

  4. Easily Hamilton’s best race and weekend this year. Shame Verstappen tarnished his performance this year with the wild attempts to defend his position.

    1. geoffgroom44 (@)
      14th November 2021, 21:34

      +1
      between playing with an opponents rear wing in Parc Ferme…and being unable to keep your car going correctly in a corner (a.k.a forced error)…I am beginning to question Max’s integrity. And that I don’t like.

      1. playing with an opponents rear wing in Parc Ferme

        ROTFL.
        this is the best example of a very delusional hamfan.

  5. Enjoy the season guys before we have it ruined in 2022. I’d like to see the onboard of Verstappen during the incident. Made me think of Rosberg-Hamilton in Austria 2016. Only thing that will give Max a penalty is if he deliberately wanted to push Hamilton off the track. Black and white flag was fine in today’s rules only.

    1. “Fights” more like streamrolled!

      The Mercedes looked unbeatable on a Red Bull track. Hamilton had an 8 second lead after 10 laps after passing Max. And with the 50 odd points they denied Max in Silverstone and Hungary it’s game over unless a DNF comes into play. Roll on 2022 , although I don’t think I can take another season of Hamilton DRSing his way through the field again with them literally throwing themselves out the way. Max did all he could but even his dirty underhand driving wasn’t enough. I wonder if another car produces a monster next year whether the FIA/Liberty will allow them to cruise to championship after championship for 8 years or whether it will take the competition of the sport more seriously.

      1. Jealous much??

    2. Yeah no onboard for that Verstappen move, does that really surprise you. A critical bit of ‘evidence’ and apparently not even the stewards had that clip to make an assessment.

      Its fortunate that on this track, at that instance, that there was a clean run off area. My guess is Verstappen would have taken the same liberty regardless of the run off area. To hear Max talk of wanting a clean race is an absolute joke. .

      1. A clean race would be if Hamilton’s car is not 30km/hr faster on the straights than the competition.

        1. Are you seriously blaming them for being faster this weekend? Did u forget last weekend’s Mexico and how fast the RB was? Fish memory, my bad.

        2. There’s corners too you know.

        3. Lets make this strsight line soeed difference. With no DRS or Slip stream, both in clear air, the difference instraight line soeed was 5kph, 2moh, this is what Brundle mentioned during the broadcast. The tow/slipstream and drs played a major factor buddy.

        4. @petterson That straight line speed you see only happened when for instance Verstappen messed up.

          You saw Perez was just as much faster than Hamilton when Hamilton had his turn 1 compromised by going on the outside of Perez. Even Perez easily drove back past Hamilton again. That Red Bull has such massive straight line speed advantage it’s ridiculous!!!! /s

        5. And the RedBull was still impossible to pass just the same. So obviously the cars were close enough in ultimate laptime. Lewis only finished ten seconds ahead after stopping three laps later. Compare to Mexico with Max half a minute up the road.

  6. The FIA so fervent trying to stop Mercedes from winning… I am happy they failed. That deserved a penalty, period.

  7. AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
    14th November 2021, 19:05

    Still no onboards on the steering input from Crashtappen’s ‘masterclass’ defense at T4.

    1. How long do you think we will have to wait to see the camera of Verstappen not Turning his wheel…..

  8. This is the 2nd time this year (after Spain lap 1) where it seems the Max of old (back off or we crash attitude) seems to resurface.

    Very happy that Lewis still won. He hasn’t been perfect this season. But this weekend was vintage Hamilton. And what a time to bring that Hamilton to the fore.

  9. championship’s over

    1. It’s wide open? Lol

      1. i was just being sarcastic towards the “championship is over” comments that people on this site were posting yesterday after HAM’s penatly

        1. geoffgroom44 (@)
          14th November 2021, 21:38

          +1 hahahaha, nice one :-)

  10. Red Bull cLeArLy fAsTeR!!

    Seriously now, finally we ‘ve seen a collected Hamilton. In this form he really can win the WDC despite the points difference.

    1. Sikhumbuzo Khumalo
      14th November 2021, 19:59

      Yeah you right Mercedes is so much faster. In Mexico I’m sure LH bottled it up. The race win was theirs.

  11. Good to see the eternal hero overcome a 100 place penalty to win with the second fastest car.

    1. Against all the odds!! How does he do it!!

    2. Yes that car lacked pace the whole year. Even the last 7 years I would say. Some people claim its fast, but I think it is all Lewis

  12. Juist watched the 2 best drivers of te field. Not a big LH fan but credits to him, great drive. But Max ….please win the wc….for the sports sake. Would be refreshing and would like to see Toto’s face….

  13. Haha, what a drive great job.

    Dispatched 10 places so fast it was hard to follow, and then an awesome race with Verstappen.

    I hope Lewis fans can appreciate this Verstappen fan loved what Lewis did this weekend.

    1. The worst thing was they did the usual thing of showing lap 1 replays on laps 3 and 4 so we missed the live passes on Leclerc and Bottas and they never replayed the pass on Leclerc…

    2. geoffgroom44 (@)
      14th November 2021, 21:39

      much appreciated.this is what the sport is all about,huh?

    3. Respect 👊🏾

  14. It is easy to say after the race but maybe Hamilton was bluffing on turn 1. He was always going for that turn 4 overtake and let Max take worse line out of the senna S’s. Maybe Max should have just keep the racing line and get the better exit but it’s hard to say from here

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      14th November 2021, 19:17

      I thought that – he was never going to dive-bomb him into turn 1 but when Max went defensive, it set him up for a pass into turn 4.

    2. Yes, because I noticed he tested that option in the previous laps. HAM was obviously faster, it was just a matter of time and/or place. If it wasn’t for the 10th place starting position, HAM would have won by more than 1 pit-stop margin.

      1. @mg1982 There clearly was no way for Hamilton to get past unless Verstappen made a mistake. He did when he fell for that dummy that Hamilton threw.

    3. Yeah I thought about that too, looked like a fake swerve to force him to defend. Great race.

  15. Amazing win from Lewis Hamilton against all odds again, another one for the history books!

    but SERIOUSLY the fia is doing everything possible to cheat Lewis out of another WDC like in 2008, if we forget him being excluded from quali for a damaged wing 0.2 mm out of spec for a moment the lack of penalty for Max forcing Lewis wide to take avoiding action off track was outrageous. It clearly looked like Max didn’t attempt to make the corner and the conspiracy minded would suggest that he wanted to make contact with Lewis as a crash thus 0 pointer would benefit him and all but destroy Lewis championship hopes..

    1. Liberty media is trying to help “the show”.

      I can imagine it being covered in a documentary about Lewis’s career in 10-15 years.

  16. A race where Verstappen get a bity of humility lesson.

    He was beaten fair and square and his dirty moves on Hamilton was justifiable booed by brazilian fans.

    His body language on podium just showed how he was punshed hard this race.

    1. Fair and square? The gap between the two cars was probably the biggest it’s been all season! Hardly a fair fight. If Hamilton started 20th he’d have won, if he was first, we could be talking about a 40-50second winning margin.

      1. I don’t care about what you think, my friend. As Max are experiencing humility right now, just take his lesson and experience to loose too. Its always good to the heart.

        1. I don’t care what you think. Hamilton should be ashamed thinking that winning in a car 30kmh faster than the rest is an achievement.

          1. your comment is pathetic. so its okay for Veaterpen to win at all costs including help from FIA fishy stewarding and even letting redbull change wings during park ferme.

          2. I’m always sympathetic with Hamilton dislikers. Must be hard and and a bit suffering to root against the guy…

      2. How big does the gap have to for Bottas to finish within a couple seconds of verstappen?

    2. Humility lesson – should read – Hamility lesson… ;)

      Redbull were very lucky not to get a 5 second penalty. This would have boosted Botas to 2nd and increased the constructors points for Mercedes.

      1. Verstappen should have gotten 10s though.

  17. My favourite moment of the race was Hamilton proudly displaying the Brazilian flag while the British anthem plays and then going on to wipe his face on that flag. Almost tops the time he showed off his cross tattoo in Abu Dhabi.

    1. That said I thoroughly enjoyed his driving this weekend.

    2. The tattoo bit killed me 😂😂😂

  18. They tried so hard to stop Lewis and Merc, unfair grid penalties and giving Max so much leeway on track.

    With the slower car, they still managed to win from last place.

    Shame on Red Bull from trying to get Merc disqualified.

    #StillIRise

    1. “Slower car”? I assume you are joking…

      As for the DSQ, that was the Stewards, not RBR.

      1. geoffgroom44 (@)
        14th November 2021, 21:47

        I understood it was RB that made the complaint that resulted in the finding the the 85mm gap was 0.2 mm wider than it should be.
        It passed the test before quali,did it not?
        And after quali we had the image (for which he was given a penalty) of Max ‘messing’ with Lewis’s rear wing…before it was tested and found to be 0.2 mm in error.
        Meanwhile, for 2 GP’s we have witnessed RB taping up their rear wing apparently because of ‘cracks’ caused during the running.
        and you seriously think there is no connection to these ‘coincidences’ ?

        1. It’s a real shame that we can’t fit Red Bull into the FIA acronym, formerly know as Ferrari International Assistance.

          Jean Todt obviously doesn’t want Lewis to win his 8th title.

        2. That information you got isn’t correct, the DRS wing was not straight on 1 side it was 2mm too wide but the otherside much more. (not that it gives Lewis great advatage) That is why Max checked the rear as they noticed something was wrong with it.

  19. Seems like Mercedes have concocted a multi race party mode.
    Otherwise I can’t explain the overspeed Hamilton had during the race.
    Nevertheless a formidable drive.
    This season will be tight and tense till the end.

  20. Max is properly rattled. All hat no cattle the fizzy drinks merchants. ‘Twas ever thus for an overdue vintage Hamilton appearance. max and his acolytes will surely have to dig deeper into their mayo jars as the silver arrows sully their championship ambitions.

    1. Bottas agrees!

  21. The speed of the Mercedes was incredible! Never seen such a straight line speed advantage. Number 8 to Number 44 is a matter of time.

    1. Yes its the car that won. Not the driver!

      1. geoffgroom44 (@)
        14th November 2021, 21:48

        aha, so you mean Max is not really a driver,huh? It’s always the car????

  22. 13 laps too long, was enjoying the tense battle, but after the highway DRS overtake the rocketship just got away.

    Great defense if a bit tainted by unnecessary (and useless) weaving. Nothing much to say of the attack, way too easy, no merit at all.

    4/10

    1. This was for the Rate the Race page, oops

  23. An emphatic well deserved win for Hamilton,he was really a class of his own today. The Red Bull camp really didn’t do a good job today and Verstappen’s driving wasn’t perfect this weekend.

    At something random, this weekend really screwed my weekly predictions. Damn you Red Bull😂

    In a more serious note, McLaren needs 2 excellent races in the last 3 events if they want to repass Ferrari for P3 in the standings. It’s a difficult task but it’s definitely possible despite a decline in Norris performances

  24. It seems to me that whatever Max do is okay with FIA. Why don’t they just crown him 2021 champion? People of Brazil can see through this farce.

  25. Great drive from LH, no doubt. But is anyone going to concede that MB was so much faster this weekend? Last weekend in Mexico, it was all about RBR that had “too much pace”. This weekend it’s all about LH.
    Somehow when MV wins, it’s the car. If LH wins, it’s always the driver.

    1. Your eyes are lying to you!

      1. No idea what you are on about.

    2. Well if you look at Bottas’ performance in that same Mercedes, you have to admit that Hamilton is doing something special. Talented people tend to make things look easy.
      (BTW, when Verstappen wins it is also because of his talent: Perez drives the same car and doesn’t have the same kind of results.)

      1. LH is doing something special – I agree. So is MV. I just wish that this would be acknowledged by most. Last week, no-one argued about the RB being the faster car, and MV exploited it perfectly. Here LH perfectly exploited the MB as the fastest car. I’m not against either driver, in my opinion they are both two of the greatest ever.

        It’s just that after this race, it’s all about “Lewis the Greatest” whereas last week it was merely “MV won with the fastest car”. It’s always the same thing – as soon as LH wins, the media goes into a ridiculous frenzy.

        1. Right..

          Because MV raced from the back of the grid then the middle of the grid last week and got shoved into next week while overtaking legitimately his opponent…

          For goodness sake just accept you have just seen why he has won over a hundred races.

          1. Well, MV didn’t have to race from the back because his car was legal, or from the middle because he didn’t have an engine change. And who knows, in Mexico, if he had started 10th in the race I wouldn’t have counted him out of winning based on their performance advantage, especially if it was with a new engine.

            He’s won over 100 races because most of those were in a ridiculously dominant MB with teammates (in particular VB) who can’t challenge him consistently. If you put the likes of MV or FA in that MB over the past 6 or 7 seasons, they’d be up there with plenty of wins.

            And if you actually read my previous comment, you would realise that I acknowledge both MV and LH as two of the greatest. But to just quote numbers alone without context is stupidity.

        2. Blaize Falconberger (@)
          14th November 2021, 23:44

          Hamilton has broken so many records it’s difficult to count. He’s a multiple world champoin. A veteran of the sport. And he keeps on winning. And he gets rightly praised for it. Max hasn’t done any of that yet, and has it all to prove. I’m sure he will, but it will take him some time to reach Hamiton’s heights. People call Hamilton the best because he IS the best. I know not everyone likes it, or agrees necceserrily, but the reason people get so worked up about it is because they know it’s true. Just like Vettel was the best, as Schumacher was the best, and all the other greats… and today Max was 2nd best. His time will come. Just wait.

    3. Mexico is at 6k feet, Brazil 2k feet, that’s the difference plus new engine.

  26. Should be noted how impressive Hamilton’s win was, best car or not. He suckered Verstappen into defending a move that wasn’t there, then fully followed up. Pure class, and weak from Verstappen.

    1. Its all about the car. The speed difference is just too much. There was nothing Max or any other driver could do. Max had no other choice than to make a harsh defence. At least he does not get out of Lewis’ way, like the rest of the field does.

      1. so its about the car.. it drives itself on track ..does dummies and etc to make those overtakes…Hamilton just sits there… ..you need to think before you post..

      2. Blaize Falconberger (@)
        14th November 2021, 23:45

        SMH

  27. Nice drive from both HAM and VER, It seems to me neither left anything on the table. The Merc was faster today, no doubt, but one car has to be at any race. Also no doubt VER tried to push HAM off, that’s what title contenders do when facing a faster car, but HAM did great to avoid a shunt. Great title fight, I hope it stays as close until the last race.

  28. Is there a precedent here, I can’t think of one.

  29. Verstappen showing yet again he’s the dirtiest driver in F1 by a country mile. Running off Bottas at the start and then that despicable move on Hamilton. Well behind Hamilton under braking, never even got near the apex and still ran Hamilton straight off the track. How is there no penalty for that?

    Yet when Hamilton makes the corner in Silverstone and Verstappen steers in to him, Hamilton gets a 10s penalty. Seriously. Utter disgrace that that foul mouth Verstappen keeps on getting away with these dirty moves.

    1. Shows how little you understand about the regulations. LH and MV collided at Silverstone and it was deemed predominantly LH’s fault. That’s why he got the penalty (not that it meant much anyway). There was no contact here so there is a much larger grey area – a grey are which both MV and LH are great at exploiting.

      1. @deliberator contact has nothing to do with it… If Maldonado had done this, he would have gotten a race ban. Max does it and gets away. Then he weaves left and right and humiliates the stewards who really should have no say in this sport anymore.

        It should really be optional to listen to race control and follow their guidelines. More like advice. As in we advise Lewis to go to the back of the grid but he could stay up front if he wishes – it’s up to him. We are very flexible, whatever works for him. We’ve given Max carte blanche over the past 5 years so we feel everyone can do whatever they want.

        F1 is becoming a joke – hopefully the homicidal clown won’t win the WDC…

        1. Homicidal clown – only one of the two here in question has put another driver in hospital after a 51G impact.
          MV is allowed to “weave” – as long as it isn’t in the braking zone. These are the rules. It’s quite common for the lead driver to change line to break the tow – this is nothing new.
          Like AS, MS, FA, LH and now MV, these are all drivers who knew how to push the limits and exploit grey areas. The issue for LH now is that he has another driver who, in closely matched machinery, can mount a real challenge.

    2. @f1osaurus Max has made a complete mockery of race control.

  30. geoffgroom44 (@)
    14th November 2021, 21:49

    Tell you what I like about the weekend’s racing…..nothing, nothing,nothing stopped The Hammer from nailing it !
    Stand back and admire.We have just witnessed an absolutely extraordinary F1 event.

  31. It’s crazy how both guys just blew away their teammates. We are watching something special this year. And from race to race we don’t know who will have the upper hand between them.

    1. Perez would have finished only some ~ 6 sec behind Verstappen if he hadn’t stopped, though.

  32. That was some race… wow

    Lewis was really quick today, too bad for Perez the VSC came so Bottas could pass him.

    Max couldn’t do more against so much speed on the straight.

    It really goes down to to the wire this year.

  33. Are Mercedes’ using a slightly tweaked version of DAS? Footage below of Hamilton onboard from F1 TV from this weekend and you can clearly see the movement in the steering column. Knowing this is banned, want to try my best to bring it to attention of people who can investigate it. Thanks and hope you see this!

    https://youtube.com/shorts/3ntBGA63Bg8?feature=share

  34. It seems Mercedes should just put a new engine in the car and start from the back every race, budget allowing. The fact Hamilton could start from last at the sprint and then win with a 10 second margin points to a huge car advantage.

    1. Literally this time last week Mercedes were lost for words after getting blown away by RBR. A race doesn’t define the cars relative ability or the season.

      1. @dmw The Mercedes engine doesn’t well at high altitude. Whereas the Honda engine does especially well in those conditions. Gasly also was 3 tenths further ahead in Mexico than he was in Brazil.

        1. Mercedes was competitive under qualifying conditions when the weather was favorable. Austin was to be a Mercedes track, as was France, as was Sochi which was to allow Bottas to pass easily. Silverstone, etc. No one was saying MB were just going to crush rbr in Brazil. this season has defied any conventional expectations on form. It’s really been about teams getting the most out of the car and great performances from the top two guys.

  35. The most surprising thing is that HAM needed so many laps to pass VER assuming the speed difference he was able to pull off in Saturday.

    It’s interesting to see what engine modes and for how long, whatever that means today, were used by Merc. The traction they were able to pull off from the last corner and the first S looked more mechanical than aero.

    1. @nnachev The cars he was passing on Saturday are about second a lap slower. Against a similar paced car like the Red Bull he needs the driver to make a big mistake for an overtake to be on. Like falling for a dummy.

  36. Lewis – take a bow!

  37. This was one of the greatest drives ever by Lewis. There was a question asked earlier about could Hamilton win the race today from 10th. I thought he might get up to 4th. But never, ever underestimate Lewis.

    OK his car seemed much faster than anything else on the track today but he still had to do it. Put his car in the right position for every overtake and make no mistakes. Max did nothing wrong either.

    It’s really game on in both championships.

  38. Very sorry to see the unfair advantage resurface in this championship fight. As if they did not already enjoy that the last 8 years. Mercedes can now take a new engine for each of the last 3 races and still win comfortably. What a horrible decade Mercedes and Lewis have brought us. I hope it will never be repeated. And to the people really believing Lewis is good. I guess you’ll see what you want to see. Good for you, celebrate while Lewis is still around. Any other car and he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere, but fine. It would just be so nice if he could own up to lucking into what has been the most car dominant era ever. He is still worth 3 maybe 4 WDC but 8 is just wrong to Fangio, Schumacher, Prost, Senna etc. Its a joke. In a 1 on 1 i doubt whether he can win from any of them.

  39. Onboard of the improved Yas Marina circuit:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whZcj86EbzY

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