The Formula 1 maturity certificate: Sao Paulo

LEWIS HAMILTON: The world champion showed once again why he is the world champion. Once again, Lewis Hamilton won a race in which there wasn't much going for him. Of course, he benefited from Max Verstappen's accident, which pushed him into first place. But on the way to victory, Hamilton also struggled with his tires and, above all, with imminent engine failure. The Brit had to conserve his drive but still stayed at the front, showing once again that no one cruises as fast as Lewis Hamilton.

MERCEDES: The fifth team title in a row is perfect, and a really great era finally becomes a historic one. Only Ferrari had more World Cup triumphs as a designer, back then with Michael Schumacher. Hamilton was right when he said the team is making history. And the continuation of the series of titles this year is particularly remarkable because, unlike in previous years, Mercedes no longer has the clearly best car - 2018 was definitely a season that could have heralded the end of their success. But the mixture of good material, a team that works like clockwork and the outstanding Hamilton brought the deserved victory.

MAX STAGES: It was once again one of those Jekyll and Hyde days for Max Verstappen. On the track, the Dutchman impressively showed why he has been considered the sport's greatest promise for years, sometimes driving circles around his competitors in his Red Bull and seemingly inexorably striving towards his second victory in a row. But suddenly Esteban Ocon, the lapped man, came and cleared Verstappen. And then the 21-year-old showed again the characteristics that still stand in his way a little. Verstappen waved the middle finger, insulted Ocon and then pushed the Frenchman around several times. Ultimately, the stewards sentenced him to two days of community service - a suitably lenient punishment. It went through with Verstappen. He made a mistake, but no one got hurt. And he shows the (completely understandable) emotions that are so often missing in Formula 1.

RED BULL: On Sunday, Red Bull itself was a little surprised by its own strength. The victory two weeks ago was certainly to be expected; the mountain air in Mexico suits the strengths of the car. The fact that Verstappen would have won in Sao Paulo without Ocon's rather courageous intervention is a big surprise. And it shows once again what the bulls have been preaching for a long time: the former world champions' car is excellent - with a slightly more powerful engine, Red Bull would be a candidate for the title. The hope that something will fundamentally change with Honda next year after leaving Renault is currently the big driving force at Red Bull.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL/FERRARI: In the evening, Sebastian Vettel was acquitted. Ferrari announced that sensor problems had severely slowed down the Heppenheimer's car, so Vettel was not to blame for the poor performance in Sao Paulo. Whether man or machine was the reason: Vettel's sixth place fit in very well with the second half of this season, in which something almost always went wrong. Even before the finale in Abu Dhabi, 2018 is Ferrari's most successful year in ten years, but it will still leave a bitter taste. Because so much more would have been possible with this car.

SAYING OF THE WEEKEND: "There's something loose between my legs. Other than the obvious. Something's flying around between my feet. If that's what you're thinking of, I'd be proud. But it's not." (Sebastian Vettel in a radio conversation with the Ferrari pit)

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The Formula 1 maturity certificate: Sao Paulo

The world champion had already been decided before last weekend - and yet the Brazilian Grand Prix still provided a lot of things to talk about. Here we highlight the protagonists again.

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