World champion earns 17th grand prix victory this season with Lando Norris in second
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leads Lando Norris of Great Britain during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photograph: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty ImagesEven before the São Paulo Grand Prix had begun, Lewis Hamilton had expressed his longing to see the back of this year’s Mercedes.
In their wake were Mercedes, their recent resurgence proving to be something of a false dawn as Hamilton once more struggled with their car, with the tyres been eaten up, with straight line pace and with pace through the corners. So pretty much every area where a car needs to be strong.
It was particularly striking after the optimism of Hamilton claiming second in the previous two races. Brazil was a different matter, however. After struggling in the sprint race he had pointedly noted on Saturday that he would be pleased to bid farewell to the W14. “Only a couple more races with this car then it’s gone so I’ll be happy,” he said.
His frustration was part of a Greek chorus echoing round the Autódromo José Carlos Pace from Mercedes. A mournful dirge that indicated just how disheartening the afternoon had been. In the closing third, the team was hopeful the soft rubber of the final stint would return some performance but were to be disappointed. Hamilton was passed by the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, the seven-time champion impotent against a team struggling in the midfield.
After the optimism of the Mercedes’ pace in the US and Mexico, this was a shockingly blunt reminder that this year’s car is still lacking a reliable and solid benchmark of performance on differing tracks and in different conditions. The confidence in how it handles and works its tyres was once more lacking in Brazil and will be a major focus for next year’s car if it is to match the Red Bull which has proved strong at almost every variation of the circuit this season.