(Football news) Mercedes finally got their first win of the season as George Russell finished first at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with Hamilton following closely behind. Having finished first in the sprint event, Russell remained dominant throughout the race on Sunday despite two Safety Car interruptions. A rivalry from 2021 was reignited when Hamilton and Verstappen went toe-to-toe in lap 7, resulting in a collision which forced the reigning champion to pit and suffer a five second penalty before fighting back for sixth place. 

Hamilton dropped to eighth place but the seven time World Champion recovered brilliantly to climb to second place but couldn’t overtake his teammate in the closing stages. Russell has had an impressive debut season at Mercedes and is currently 23 points ahead of Hamilton in the Drivers Standings before the final race in Abu Dhabi. Speaking after the race, Russell said “What an amazing feeling. It has been an emotional rollercoaster this season. This was a tough race, I felt in control. Lewis was super-fast and when I saw the Safety Car, I thought this is going to be a really difficult end, he put me under so much pressure. I am speechless." 

Mercedes have had a season to forget this year, having only won one race so far and their Constructors Championship streak finally coming to an end after eight years. However, the Silver Arrows can take solace in the fact that they are just 23 points behind second place Ferrari ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and could potentially finish second depending on how the results go for both the teams. As for Scuderia Ferrari, Carlos Sainz finished in third place followed by Charles Leclerc in fourth, despite the Monegasque driver colliding with Norris and being forced to drive from the back of the grid. 

One of the controversial points of the match was when Verstappen ignored a team order by Red Bull Racing to allow teammate Sergio Perez to pass through, as the Mexican is currently fighting with Charles Leclerc for second place in the Drivers Standings. Perez allowed Verstappen through earlier in the race and by finishing seventh, the Mexican is now tied with Leclerc on 290 points going into the final race of the season. McLaren had a disappointing outing at the Interlagos as both Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris were forced to retire. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon finished fifth and eighth respectively and are now 19 points clear in the Constructors Standings.

Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Race Result

1) George Russell, Mercedes
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
6) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
7) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Also read: Daniel Ricciardo in talks with Mercedes and Red Bull for reserve role