The sprint races of F1, which we are not very accustomed to, had only been held in two races this season, and in general, almost all of the pilots stated that they did not look forward to sprint racing. F1 management, which has not received positive feedback from the audience, is insisting on sprint racing despite all this.
The first sprint race this season was held at the British GP. Then, the last stop of the sprint race held in Monza GP was Brazilian Interlagos GP. Whether the sprint race, which is used in only 3 races this season, will be used next season, will be shaped according to the decision of the F1 management after the season ends. According to rumors, F1 management plans to organize 6 sprint races next season. The pilot who finishes the sprint race in the first place is awarded 3 points, the second placed pilot 2 and the third driver 1 point.
Lewis Hamilton, fastest in practice session
Returning to the calendar after a one-year hiatus, Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton was at the top of the first training lap at Interlagos. Hamilton; Verstappen, Perez and Bottas follow; The frequent blocking of the pilots during the training was one of the most striking details. As it is known, two training sessions will be held this week instead of three due to the sprint race. While the first training session is held on Friday before the qualifying session; The other training session will be held on Saturday before the sprint race.
Qualifying session one (Q1): Lance Stroll and George Russell bid farewell early
In Interlagos (Brazil), which is one of the most difficult tracks, the pilots were faced with the situation of exceeding the runway limits, especially at Turn 4, and the lap ratings of these pilots were deleted. The highlights of Q1 were Ferrari’s two drivers, Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc. Williams driver George Russell, nicknamed Mr. Saturday, who is the successful name of qualifying laps, got out of the elimination pot with the air corridor he took from Sainz in his last attempt, but later entered the elimination pot with the ratings from the other drivers and had an early goodbye. Hamilton, Bottas and Sainz took the top three places in Q1; Stroll, Latifi, Russell, Schumacher and Mazepin were eliminated in the first session.
Second session of qualifying (Q2): 4-time world champion Vettel loses
Hamilton was the first to hit the track in the second session. Hamilton’s lap rating, who had the best lap on the track in his first attempt, was deleted because he exceeded the track limits. Then, making another try, Hamilton finished the top 0.1 seconds ahead of Verstappen. While the first three rows did not change in the order of the second session; Ocon, Vettel, Tsunoda, Raikonen and Giovinazzi were eliminated in the second session.
Qualifying third session (Q3): Hamilton fastest of the day
Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen, who complained about the overheating of his right front tire in his first attempt in the third session, could not take the lap he wanted. Afterwards, Verstappen, who made two counterattacks in his second attempt, remained behind championship rival Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas and Perez made up the first four rows of Q3; Lewis Hamilton had the fastest lap of the day with his last lap in Q3.
More details on the Brazilian GP
Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton; He came to Brazil with special helmet designs. While the Brazilian theme was used on Verstappen’s helmet, the traces of Ayrton Senna were seen on Hamilton’s helmet.
The excitement in Formula 1 will continue with the second training session at 18:00 CEST on Saturday and the sprint race at 22:30 CEST. The ranking of the pilots will be determined by the result of the sprint race, which will start at 20:00 on Sunday. The sprint race will be held over 24 laps (1/3 of the race). Finally, it is worth remembering that Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton was penalized 5 rows due to an engine change, and that he will start the race 5 rows behind where he finished the sprint race.
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