Five Formula 1 Winners & Losers: Brazilian Grand Prix

Photo by Andre Penner from The Associated Press

Brazil is always one of my favorite races of the year. This one was no different by any means.

The drama even carried over into the post race!

There’s just nothing like Brazil…

Here are this weeks winners & losers.

Losers

5. The FIA

The FIA didn’t do anything terribly wrong, but they did forget to tell Yuki Tsunoda he could unlap himself.

So poor Yuki just had to sit there and let everyone pass him because he didn’t get the opportunity to put himself back on the lead lap.

That’s sort of a mean oversight by the FIA.

4. Lando Norris

Tough weekend for Lando, who was feeling ill with food poisoning.

But a misjudged corner led to a crash with Charles Leclerc and then his engine failed which meant he left Interlagos with nothing to show for it.

Otherwise, he did fairly well for the state he was in.

3. Kevin Magnussen

If you had told me on Friday, after Kevin Magnussen got his first ever pole position, that he would be in the losers column, I wouldn’t have believed you.

But, alas, here he is.

His sprint race wasn’t bad, finishing 8th to get one point and a decent start for Sunday’s grand prix.

But he was taken out by Daniel Ricciardo on the opening lap, and all of his hard work to show for the weekend didn’t even make it a full lap.

Just a devastating end to an incredible weekend.

2. Daniel Ricciardo

See above.

There’s not many races left for Ricciardo in Formula 1, and if he wants to get himself back in, mistakes like Sunday are not going to help at all.

1. Max Verstappen

I’m not even going to discuss that it was a tough weekend for Verstappen, or his mistake with Lewis which led to a collision.

But the needless drama he caused by simply not letting his teammate Sergio Perez pass at the end of the race is pointless and childless.

Verstappen has clinched the championship, set the record for most wins, set the record for most points and Red Bull have already clinched the constructors championship, so why be petty and hold up your teammate who simply wants to finish 2nd in the standings?

Especially when that teammate has been very fair to you, and is 95% of the reason you won your first championship.

That’s right, I looked it up.

If not for Perez’s defense on Hamilton last year at Abu Dhabi, Hamilton would have had a 19 second lead over Verstappen and the ability to pit without worry of Verstappen passing him.

Perez was crucial to Verstappen’s title, and this is how he is repaid.

I spent a lot of this year writing about how mature Verstappen has gotten over the years.

Looks like I was wrong.

Winners

5. Fernando Alonso

Alonso started poorly due to his own mistake (and then blamed everyone else in typical Alonso fashion) but he did what he always does.

He was magical on Sunday, and got himself into the top 5 for a great result.

He’s always had the talent.

He just needs to shut up every now and then.

4. Carlos Sainz

Carlos had a good sprint race and was on pace to start 2nd before having to start 7th due to an engine change.

Still, he kept it clean and found himself in 3rd for his 15th podium.

A great, clean, consistent weekend for the Spaniard.

3. Charles Leclerc

Leclerc’s weekend was not quite as clean, and he was taken out by Lando Norris early in the race and found himself well down the order needing a wing change.

But he climbed his way all the back up to finish 4th.

A crucial performance that helps him stay tied with Perez for 2nd in the championship.

2. Lewis Hamilton

This weekend was vintage Lewis Hamilton.

Tough conditions and an accident meant he didn’t get a clean qualifying lap, so he started the sprint race far behind.

A good sprint race meant he started the Grand Prix in 2nd, but a collision with Verstappen cost him valuable time and positions as he fought for a race win.

Still didn’t matter.

Lewis clawed his way all the way back to finish 2nd.

It always felt with this years Mercedes car that Lewis far back in the pack meant a podium felt challenging, but Sunday it felt like a given.

Of course he was going to come back.

1. George Russell

But the praise of the weekend can only go to one man, and that’s George Russell.

Russell was consistently the fastest all weekend long, and after many races with careless mistakes (including this one where he beached the car in qualifying) it was awesome to see him have a phenomenal Saturday and Sunday to give him his first ever victory.

It was a beautiful weekend for Mercedes, and the 8 time constructors champs are building quite a lot of momentum to head into next season.