Hamilton beats Verstappen: title fight will be a thriller

After an electrifying wheel-to-wheel duel with the Dutch championship leader, the Mercedes driver reduced his gap in the Formula 1 drivers' standings to just 14 points. Hamilton defied two penalties in São Paulo and celebrated his sixth win of the season ahead of Verstappen to the cheers of the fans in Interlagos.

What a weekend in Brazil! For now the Hamilton file . Due to declining engine power, the Englishman's company car was illegally given a new engine. In qualifying on Friday, Hamilton clearly left his opponent Verstappen behind, but received a five-place penalty for the race.

Things got even worse for the 36-year-old. Because of an irregular rear wing, he was disqualified from the hunt for a starting position. According to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, the distance between the movable flaps was just 0,2 millimeters too large. “There is nothing left to lose now,” announced the Austrian and accused the race stewards of a lack of tact. Hamilton raced furiously in the sprint from 20th place to fifth. “It’s not over yet,” said the seven-time world champion imploringly.

The Verstappen file . The 24-year-old touched the rear wing of Hamilton's Mercedes after qualifying. But this is forbidden in the so-called Parc Fermé. He has to pay the fine of 50.000 euros himself, but the top earner can live with that. In the sprint, he secured two points by finishing second behind Bottas in the second Mercedes, and his championship lead now grew to 21 points. And Verstappen also won the start of the main race. In the first corner he pushed Bottas aside and accelerated at the front. Hamilton worked his way up from tenth place. On lap five he was already in third position after his Finnish teammate let him pass.

Lewis Hamilton celebrated with the Brazilian flag. © APA/afp / NELSON ALMEIDA

Hamilton was now chasing Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. Debris from Yuki Tsunoda's Alpha Tauri lay on the track after a crash, and the Briton caught up in the safety car phase. “Let’s get these guys,” Hamilton shouted over the radio. Red Bull cars can't hold Hamilton back Verstappen and Perez now drove zigzag, Hamilton was waiting for the route to be cleared after the safety car. But the Mercedes man couldn't pass. Instead, there was a virtual safety car shortly afterwards; Mick Schumacher had destroyed the front in a collision with Kimi Räikkönen in the Alfa Romeo.

<a data-caption="In dieser Szene lässt Lewis Hamilton Ferrari-Pilot Charles Leclerc und Mercedes-Teamkollege Valtteri Bottas hinter sich. © ANSA / Sebastiao Moreira" data-fancybox="inline-89666" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2021/11/in-dieser-szene-laesst-lewis-hamilton-ferrari-pilot-charles-leclerc-und-mercedes-teamkollege-valtteri-bottas-hinter-sich.jpg"> In this scene, Lewis Hamilton leaves Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas behind. © ANSA / Sebastiao Moreira

Hamilton and Perez fought each other for two laps - on lap 19 the Brit was over and only had Verstappen in front of him. However, the defending champion was around 3,5 seconds behind the leader. On lap 27, Hamilton brought forward his pit stop and returned to the asphalt in sixth place. Verstappen reacted one lap later and was third after the tire change. Hamilton gave chase and was suddenly only around 1,5 seconds behind the Red Bull man.

Actually, Interlagos Red Bull is because of the heat and the altitude, but Mercedes driver Hamilton demanded Verstappen to the utmost. The 41-year-old came into the pits on lap 24 and was then almost 20 seconds behind the new leader. Three laps later, Hamilton headed into the garage and continued his chase. Then the wheel-to-wheel duel. Ferrari finish in 5th and 6th place On lap 48, Hamilton was almost able to overtake on the outside, but Verstappen didn't give him any space. Both pilots raced over the curb. The race stewards investigated the incident, but the defensive maneuver had no consequences. Hamilton caught Verstappen after all – on lap 59. And made the World Championship duel with his rival even more exciting.

Ferrari, on the other hand, once again missed the podium in Brazil, but scored numerous points with both cars. Charles Leclerc finished the race in fifth place, Carlos Sainz was sixth. The next World Cup round will take place next Sunday in Qatar. Result of the Brazilian Grand Prix: Pos Name Country Team 1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes 2. Max Verstappen NED Red Bull 3. Valtteri Bottas END Mercedes 4. Sergio Perez MEX Red Bull 5. Charles Leclerc MON Ferrari 6. Carlos Sainz ESP Ferrari 7. Pierre Gasly FRA Alpha Tauri 8. Fernando Alonso ESP Alpine 9. Esteban Ocon FRA Alpine 10. Lando Norris GBR McLaren 11. Sebastian Vettel GER Aston Martin 12. Kimi Raikkonen END Alfa Romeo 13. George russel GBR Williams 14. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo

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Hamilton beats Verstappen: title fight will be a thriller

In a thrilling, high-class Grand Prix in São Paulo, a fiercely determined Lewis Hamilton fought back in the championship duel with Max Verstappen. Instead of a title decision in Qatar, the explosiveness is now greater than ever this season.

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