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Prior to the sprint race, there was a lot of talk about a possible DRS infringement by Lewis Hamilton with his Mercedes F1 car. The stewards decided to disqualify Hamilton and as a result Hamilton did not start the sprint race from first place but from the very back.
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Max Verstappen was allowed to start in first place but Valtteri Bottas started better on the soft tire than Verstappen on the medium tire compound. Bottas in the lead ahead of Carlos Sainz who also made a super start and then Verstappen who narrowly avoided a collision with Sainz on the opening lap.
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Lewis Hamilton also made a very good start, the Brit kept out of trouble and immediately made up several positions on the first lap. In the meantime, we also saw a lot of struggle in the midfield and things went wrong between the two Alfa Romeo drivers.
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Meanwhile, on lap four we saw Max Verstappen pass Carlos Sainz again and reclaim second place in the race. Important for Verstappen because the top three receive points in the sprint race. In the second Red Bull we also saw Sergio Perez putting pressure on Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari.
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Much more spectacle during the sprint race in Brazil than during the previous sprint races in Silverstone and Monza. That has of course a lot to do with Verstappen missing his start and Lewis Hamilton having to start from the back of the grid.
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With ten laps to go Lewis Hamilton had moved up to a top ten position thanks to a very strong overtaking race. Very important for the race on Sunday because Hamilton will still receive a grid penalty of five places.
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At the front we saw Max Verstappen pushing and connecting with Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen who did everything in his power to still take the lead in the sprint race and the pole position?
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Hamilton, meanwhile, kept pushing very hard, overtaking one car after another, with the new Mercedes engine clearly coming in handy.
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Valtteri Bottas eventually managed to win the sprint race fairly smoothly and thus capture pole position for Sunday’s race. Max Verstappen finished second to score two important points for the championship. Carlos Sainz finished third and thus takes the last point.
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Lewis Hamilton finished his strong catch-up race in fifth and will start the race in tenth after his five-place grid penalty.
More F1 news:– Bad news for Lewis Hamilton: ‘Mercedes engine will continue to decline in power’– VIDEO: Max Verstappen checks Hamilton’s Mercedes F1 car after qualifying– Red Bull: Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty won’t change anything for us– F1 driver responds to ‘leaked’ video: “I wasn’t kicked out of a nightclub”– F1 presents new look to promote ‘world’s most efficient engine’ (F1journaal.be)