Lewis Hamilton charged from tenth to first and won the Brazilian GP in a controversial wheel-to-wheel duel with title rival Max Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen started the race with a better acceleration from the left-hand side of the grid. He successfully ran the Mercedes wide open on turn 1 and took the lead.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who started the race from the tenth place, had come up to the sixth position at the start of the second lap. He passed the Ferrari’s at the same spot in successive laps, and with Valtteri Bottas’ help, made it to third place.
In the post-race interview with former F1 driver Felipe Massa, the seven-time world champion thanked the Brazilian fans for their support and said, “Obrigado Brazil!”
“I’m so grateful for the incredible support I’ve had this weekend. I haven’t had as much support like this since Silverstone. What a race. The team did a great job, Valtteri did a great job. With the penalties, it’s the hardest race weekend I’ve had,” he further added.
After Hamilton took the chequered flag, Mercedes’ team boss Toto Wolff cheered him over the radio and said, “Lewis, that’s how you overcome a 20-place penalty.”
To which, the Briton replied, “It was 25, but you’re right.” The win was Hamilton’s sixth of the season and record-extending 101st of his career. The 36-year old cut the lead gap from title rival Max Verstappen to 14 points with three races remaining in the drivers’ standings.
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Lewis Hamilton sets another record
The 36-year-old went from 20th to fifth on Saturday, dropping back to 10th on Sunday’s grid after an engine penalty and rising all over again at the top.
The seven-time world champion took his third win in Brazil and set a record for victory in Brazil from the lowest grid position, beating Italian Giancarlo Fisichella’s 2003 win from eighth.
Meanwhile, Verstappen finished second with Valtteri Bottas third in a controversial and roller-coaster weekend in Brazil that will go down as one of Hamilton’s greatest and most satisfying drives of the season.
