SAO PAULO, Brazil — The third and final Formula 1 Sprint race of the season reached an exciting conclusion at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on Saturday afternoon as Mercedes’ George Russell beat Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton to the checkered flag.
Sainz, who drives for Ferrari, finished 3.995 seconds behind Russell’s Mercedes, though the two rivals were out front early in the sprint that set the field for Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix. The pair overtook first-time polesitter Kevin Magnussen by the third lap. The battle for second was on between Sainz and Hamilton near the end of the race, with the two finishing within half-a-second of one another.
Meanwhile, the victorious Russell will start Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix in the lead position.
“That result just goes to show all the hard work that everybody is putting in and the progress that we have made as a team. The car has been feeling great since we brought our last update to Austin, but I wasn’t expecting to have that much pace,” Russell said. “I’m sure Max [Verstappen] will be flying tomorrow, but we’re in the nice position where we can maybe split the strategies and go for the win.”
Hamilton, Russell’s teammate, will join him on the front row as Sainz is facing a five-place grid penalty for swapping an engine. Red Bull Racing drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will complete row two after their fourth and fifth place finishes in the sprint.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crossed the finish line in sixth, Lando Norris came in seventh and Magnussen was scored eighth.
Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.