SAO PAULO, Brazil — It was George Russell’s day in Brazil, as the Mercedes driver earned his first career Formula 1 victory.
Russell led Mercedes to a 1-2 finish, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finishing second in the Brazilian Grand Prix.
It was a complete weekend for Russell, who scored the pole for Sunday’s race after winning Saturday’s Sprint race.
“What an amazing feeling. A huge thank you to the whole team for making this possible,” Russell said. “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster, this season, this race. I felt in control, Lewis was super-fast and then when I saw the safety car, I thought this is going to be a difficult end. He put me under so much pressure. But I’m so happy to come away with the victory.
“On the in-lap, all of these memories came flooding back, starting off with my Mum and Dad in go karting, going through and all the support I’ve had from the rest of my family, my girlfriend, my trainer, my manager. The likes of Gwen, who first gave me the opportunity to get on the program with Mercedes, and James Vowles and Toto. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
At the drop of the green flag, Russell and Hamilton launched out front.
However, a collision between McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen in turn eight brought out the safety car.
Another collision on lap seven between Max Verstappen and Hamilton resulted in a five-second penalty for Verstappen.
McLaren’s Lando Norris got in a scuffle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, also prompting a five-second penalty for Norris on lap seven.
It was smooth sailing for Russell, who finished 1.5 seconds ahead over Hamilton.
“I have to say huge congratulations to George, what an amazing drive he did today, he did an amazing job yesterday in the Sprint so he truly deserves it,” Hamilton said. “To my team, I’m so proud of everyone back at the factory and here. This is an incredible result – we’ve worked so hard through this year to get a 1-2, and to get a win. This is hugely, hugely deserved for everybody, so a big thank you to you all!”
The Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Leclerc finished third and fourth, respectively.
It was a stellar day for Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, who finished fifth.
It was a dismal day for Red Bull Racing, as Verstappen would finish sixth, one spot ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.
With Magnussen out of the race, Haas F1’s lone finisher was Mick Schumacher, who finished 13th.