Valtteri Bottas has taken pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after finishing sprint qualifying a second ahead of Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver led every lap of the 100km sprint building a gap by the end of the sprint of a second, for the Finn it allows Mercedes to attempt to limit the damage for Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas looked to have the pace advantage over Red Bull and soon started to pull away at the front, from where he controlled the sprint and secured pole position. Verstappen was unable to get close to the Mercedes to attempt an overtake but soon found himself pulling away from the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.
Bottas also did everything Mercedes would have wanted him to do to limit the damage Verstappen could have done to Hamilton’s title hopes. That decision to start on the soft proved key in allowing Bottas into the lead. Sainz meanwhile ran wide into the first corner, under braking.
Verstappen’s second place sees him extend his lead over Hamilton to twenty-one points. The Red Bull Driver briefly having the chance of closing up during the latter phase of the session but while he was in DRS range he couldn’t get close enough to stop Bottas taking his second sprint pole of the season.
Bottas said, “The start was the key thing for me. We gambled a bit with the soft tyre, we knew it would be a benefit at the start and it worked. It was quite tricky at the end but Max still struggled to follow through some of the weekends and I’m glad it worked out.”
Verstappen said, “The start itself wasn’t the best and then we were on the harder compound, that didn’t help. I think the pace was quite good but around here once you close up you can’t really pass. But it’s ok.”
Sainz finished the sprint third a second ahead of Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, meaning the Spaniard will spilt them on the grid for the race tomorrow. The Ferrari driver passed two cars into the Senna S on the opening lap. Hamilton pulled off the most overtaking as the seven-time champion worked his way from last to fifth.
That will be seen as hope for Hamilton who has a five-place grid penalty for an engine change. Following his disqualification from traditional qualifying, the Mercedes driver started last, before over taking fifteen cars during the twenty-four-lap sprint that will give him possibly the chance of victory in the race on Sunday.
Hamilton’s final move was arguably the best of the race, sweeping down the inside of Norris through the Senna S at the start of the sprint allowed him to take fifth.
In context for the seven-time champion it was possibly one of his best performances of the season, he his aggressive driving style and the pace of the Mercedes to work his way superlative pace.
Sainz’s third-place also sees him move Ferrari slightly ahead of McLaren in the battle for third in the constructors.
The sprint could suggest that tomorrow’s race will see the opportunity for a lot of overtaking, but there was no safety car unlike the last sprint at Monza. The prospect of another close fight between Mercedes and Red Bull in the race where strategy will again be key.
Lando Norris starts sixth after finishing the sprint two and a half seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the McLaren gaining the place from the Monacan as they finished the session the other way round to where they started following traditional qualifying.
Pierre Gasly was one of the biggest losers, he had put his Alpha Tauri fourth on Friday but lost four places in the sprint. The Frenchman held off Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel, as he struggled to convert single lap pace which saw him start the sprint fourth into a good starting position for the race.
Daniel Ricciardo lost three places in the sprint, meaning the McLaren driver starts eleventh seven tenths ahead of Fernando Alonso. Antonio Giovinazzi gained a position during the sprint to start thirteenth ahead of Lance Stroll, the Canadian also moving up one place from where he started.
Yuki Tsunoda put his Alpha Tauri fifteenth on the grid, finishing two tenths ahead of Nicholas Latifi. Latifi maintaining his position after out qualifying his teammate George Russell for the first time in traditional qualifying. Kimi Raikkonen finished eighteenth ahead of both Haas’s, Mick Schumacher finishing ahead of Nikita Mazepin.
Related
- SAO PAULO GP – Fernando Alonso fastest in second practice by eight tenths
- SAO PAULO GP – Lewis Hamilton Beats Max Verstappen In Friday Qualifying By Four-Tenths Ahead Of Sprint
- SAO PAULO GP – Lewis Hamilton sets pace in first practice three tenths ahead of Max Verstappen
- F1 Today – Sao Paulo Prixview – 11/11/2021
- PRIXVIEW – São Paulo Grand Prix
