Mercedes secured a front-row lockout for Formula 1’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix as George Russell claimed honours in Sprint at Interlagos.
Russell prevailed in a fierce fight with World Champion Max Verstappen to claim top spot, while Verstappen was eventually demoted to fourth after copping front wing damage during a battle against Carlos Sainz.
READ MORE: F1 2022 Sao Paulo GP – F1 Sprint Report
Sainz classified second in Sprint but will be relegated to seventh on Sunday’s grid after taking a five-place penalty for a fresh engine, promoting third-placed finisher Lewis Hamilton to the front row of the grid.
Erstwhile pole sitter Kevin Magnussen led the opening two laps before ultimately classifying eighth.
| Position | Driver | Team | Gap | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
George Russell | Mercedes | |||
| 2 |
|
Carlos Sainz Jr | Ferrari | 3.9 | ||
| 3 |
|
Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 4.4 | ||
| 4 |
|
Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 10.4 | ||
| 5 |
|
Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 11.8 | ||
| 6 |
|
Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 13.1 | ||
| 7 |
|
Lando Norris | McLaren | 25.6 | ||
| 8 |
|
Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 28.7 | ||
| 9 |
|
Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 30.2 | ||
| 10 |
|
Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 34.1 | ||
| 11 |
|
Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 39.3 | ||
| 12 |
|
Mick Schumacher | Haas | 41.1 | ||
| 13 |
|
Guanyu Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 41.7 | ||
| 14 |
|
Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 42.3 | ||
| 15 |
|
Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 48.9 | ||
| 16 |
|
Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 50.3 | ||
| 17 |
|
Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 50.7 | ||
| 18 |
|
Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 51.7 | ||
| 19 |
|
Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 76.8 | ||
| 20 |
|
Alex Albon | Williams |
