Motorsport News 18/11/21

Lewis Hamilton says winning the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday felt like his first victory in Formula 1 after an incredible fightback. The Mercedes man was kicked out of qualifying for an illegal rear wing and was forced to start the Sprint race from the very back of the grid. He copped another five-place penalty for an engine change and started the main race in 10th, but powered through and put a late pass on championship rival Max Verstappen to take an unlikely win. The seven-time champion said: “These things that just kept going against us, but I think it shows for everyone, just never give up. Whatever you are facing you have just got to keep pushing, keep tumbling away and never, never stop fighting. “It feels like the first [win] because…

Formula 1 and its fans had a lot to be thankful for in last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix. For a few laps, it seemed like the victor would not be named until after deliberations in the stewards’ room. Lewis Hamilton’s attempt to overtake leader Max Verstappen at the fourth corner on lap 48 was unsuccessful as the Red Bull driver used all of the road on the exit of the downhill left-hander to run the Mercedes man off the road. Still, Hamilton gathered his thoughts and his pace and came on strong again at his Dutch rival before sweeping ahead for good at the same corner on lap 59. That was a huge relief, because what had been a sensational grand prix could have been ruined had the officials got involved. They had done…

Like the greatest champions in all of sport, Lewis Hamilton is at his strongest when the chips are down.After being thrown out of qualifying, Hamilton delivered a performance inspired byAyrton Senna that will be ranked as one of the finest of his career. In a weekend that was heated by political controversies between Red Bull and Mercedes both on and off the track, he hunted down Max Verstappen – and despite running off the road at one stage with his arch rival – managed to overtake the Dutchman for a stunning victory. When on Saturday it looked as if the World championship was slipping away, his 101st win has pushed the title fight wide open. After a worrying amount of degradation, Mercedes decided to fit Hamilton with a new power unit for…

11 Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin-Mercedes) -1 lap; 12 Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) -1 lap; 13 George Russell (Williams-Mercedes) -1 lap; 14 Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo-Ferrari) -1 lap; 15 Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) -1 lap; 16 Nicholas Latifi (Williams-Mercedes) -1 lap; 17 Nikita Mazepin (Haas-Ferrari) -2 laps; 18 Mick Schumacher (Haas-Ferrari) -2 laps; 19 Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren-Mercedes) 49 laps/chassis; 20 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 47 laps/accident damage Drivers’ championship: 1 Verstappen 332.5 points; 2 Hamilton 318.5; 3 Bottas 203; 4 Perez 178; 5 Norris 151; 6 Leclerc 148 Constructors’ championship: 1 Mercedes 521.5 points; 2 Red Bull 510.5; 3 Ferrari 287.5; 4 McLaren 256; 5 Alpine 112; 6 AlphaTauri 112.…

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has described second place for Max Verstappen in Brazil as “damage limitation” as the title fight narrowed to 14 points. Red Bull called fourth-placed Sergio Perez into the pits on the penultimate lap to fit fresh tyres and enable the Mexican to snatch the fastest lap point away from Hamilton. “Their car was very quick here, they had a fresh engine which was very powerful – they had very fast straightline speed with Monaco levels of downforce so we need to understand that,” said Horner. “But there are three races to go and everything to play for. We’ve just got to concentrate on our own job and push them as hard as we can.” Formula 1 heads to Qatar for the first-ever time this coming weekend,…

Brazilian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton was handed a €5000 fine by the stewards in Brazil after he undid his seat-belts on the cool-down lap. After his superb victory, Hamilton slowed to pick-up a Brazilian flag from a marshal and uncoupled his safety belt, thereby contravening the FIA’s international sporting code. The stewards gave seven-time champion Hamilton the fine and an additional €20,000 penalty, which is suspended until the end of 2022. They cited that Formula 1 should set an example for junior drivers adding that young racers must “learn the importance of using all the safety devices of the car at all times.” A statement from the FIA stewards added: “While the stewards are sympathetic to the desire to celebrate, it is fundamentally unsafe to undo seatbelts while the car is in motion.…