Sebastian Vettel wins Brazilian Grand Prix

Sao Paulo : Sebastian Vettel won the Brazilian GP from Valtteri Bottas as Lewis Hamilton charged from the pitlane to fourth.

In the race’s decisive moment, Vettel passed the pole-sitting Bottas off the line and into the first corner.

Vettel then emerged just ahead of the Mercedes following his one and only pit-stop after Bottas tried to undercut the German. 

It was Vettel’s 47th F1 victory but only his first since July. The result also all-but guarantees Vettel, who maintained at least a two-second lead over Bottas through the closing stages of the race, will finish the season as the second-placed driver in the world championship ahead of the Finn.

“He had it all under control,” summarised Sky F1’s Martin Brundle as Vettel celebrated his third win at Interlagos. “Vettel did a superb job. He got the start right and then controlled the pace.”

The race was enlivened by Hamilton’s brilliant charge from last following his crash in qualifying to fourth place behind Kimi Raikkonen.

Hamilton’s stunning surge through the field, which saw him lead the race at the halfway stage after the frontrunners had pitted and overtake Max Verstappen with 10 laps remaining, was only thwarted when he caught Raikkonen and locked up into the first corner.

Had Hamilton been able to quickly pass Raikkonen then, with Bottas only just ahead of the Ferrari, an unlikely victory push could have followed but the four-time world champion ultimately had to settle for fourth and the Driver of the Day award.

Vettel had missed out on pole position on Saturday after running wide into the first corner. But the Ferrari driver, eager to deliver a welcome fillip to his beleaguered Ferrari team after the collapse of his title bid, was to use almost exactly the same piece of tarmac to rectify his mistake as he squeezed past Bottas into the first corner after an evenly-matched start off the line.

“We lost the race in the first corner,” bemoaned Bottas. 

Although Bottas briefly threatened to claim back the lead after Mercedes called him in for an early stop, Vettel held his nerve and quickly built up a comfortable buffer after returning to the track a few metres ahead of Bottas. 

An accomplished frontrunner, Vettel never let his lead drop below two seconds through the final 20 laps and eventually took the chequered flag 2.7 seconds clear of Bottas.