Norris Wins Sao Paulo Sprint after McLaren Tactics
Despite being second for the entire Sprint, it was Lando Norris who took victory after McLaren made the decision to let Lando through on Oscar Piastri! Piastri came home second to complete a McLaren 1-2 whilst Max Verstappen rounded out the Sprint Podium!
McLaren Play the Game
Oscar Piastri got off the line well to lead into Turn 1 as Lando Norris followed in second, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen! Those 4 drivers were very much what the cameras focused on as they were all pretty close at the front, but it was also clear that it was difficult to overtake. Behind all of this, Sergio Perez was making his way through the field with a great move on Nico Hulkenberg whilst Lewis Hamilton was stuck behind the two Williams cars (after having a disappointing start). To be honest, this wasn’t the most exciting Sprint, it was very difficult to overtake, but the fight at the front got a little bit more interesting after Max Verstappen cleared Charles Leclerc for P3! Oscar was still leading Lando at this point, clearly proving that he was good enough to win today, but after Nico Hulkenberg retired due to a mechanical issue, McLaren made the decision to let Norris through on Piastri as the Virtual Safety Car came out not much later! Honestly, this was odd, the VSC should’ve come out a lot sooner, but I’m not going into conspiracy theories on here! Also, when the Sprint did get back underway, Verstappen came close to passing Piastri, but he didn’t overtake him so it’ll be fine!
The Highs and Lows of the Sprint
I’ve given out two 10’s for today’s Sprint and the first one is for Oscar Piastri! Even though he didn’t end up winning the Sprint, Oscar was clearly the deserving winner, and it would be very unfair to give him anything less! The other driver I’ve given out maximum points to is Pierre Gasly because Pierre managed to come home in P7 to score 2 points for Alpine! That is mega, so well done Pierre! Lando Norris and Max Verstappen also deserve praise for finishing in the Top 3, and Liam Lawson did well, even if he didn’t end up scoring a point!
In terms of the lowest possible grade, I’ve given out two 1’s, and that is for the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Honestly, I have no words for them, I mean Fernando finished about a second and a half ahead of Lance, but to finish P18 and 19, behind Zhou Guanyu, is just unacceptable! Lewis Hamilton also didn’t have a great Sprint whilst Yuki Tsunoda was nowhere!
Overall Sprint Race Results and My Ratings
Lando Norris: 9
Oscar Piastri: 10
Max Verstappen: 9
Charles Leclerc: 8
Carlos Sainz: 7
George Russell: 6
Pierre Gasly: 10
Sergio Perez: 6
Liam Lawson: 9
Alex Albon: 8
Lewis Hamilton: 3
Franco Colapinto: 6
Esteban Ocon: 5
Oliver Bearman: 5
Yuki Tsunoda: 3
Valtteri Bottas: 4
Zhou Guanyu: 2
Fernando Alonso: 1
Lance Stroll: 1
Nico Hulkenberg: 5 (DNF)
My Predictions for Interlagos Qualifying
Lando Norris
Oscar Piastri
Max Verstappen
Carlos Sainz
Charles Leclerc
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