Russell charges to first F1 win in Sao Paulo Sprint

George Russell has taken his first F1 win of sorts in an action-packed Sprint at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver chased down and overhauled Max Verstappen midway through the 24-lap encounter to see the chequered flag first.

The Dutchman fell to fourth after he had contact with Carlos Sainz, who finished second, while Lewis Hamilton charged his way forward to finish third.

A strong start from Kevin Magnussen off pole saw him in a clear lead into Turn 1 while Verstappen played a rear-guard action against Russell.

In the pack, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon made contact exiting Turn 4.

At the end of the opening lap, Magnussen headed Verstappen, who again had to defend Russell into the first corner.

That battle continued into Turn 4, the Mercedes and Red Bull locked together in the opening exchanges.

Alonso was forced to pit at the end of the second lap, having dropped down the order with a broken front wing following a second exchange with his team-mate on the opening lap.

The pair had come together when Alonso pulled out of the slipstream on the front straight at the end of the opening lap.

As he did so, he got too close to his team-mate and damaged the front wing, necessitating the change.

Verstappen moved up the inside of Magnussen at Turn 1 at the start of Lap 3, the Haas driver offering no defence and immediately fell into the clutches of Russell.

Next time by, the Mercedes was through, cruising by down the front straight.

The pole man fell to fourth soon after when Carlos Sainz moved up the inside into Turn 4.

DRS proved especially strong, with moves under brakes into the opening corner proving indefensible in most cases.

That saw Sergio Perez cruise by Magnussen as they started Lap 9, having made a similar move on Lando Norris not long earlier.

Sebastian Vettel had a close call when Lance Stroll pushed him onto the grass as they headed back the back straight.

The German had a better run through Turn 3 only for his team-mate to move late and force the four-time world champion off the track.

It was noted by the stewards, though Vettel found a way through courtesy of DRS half a lap later.

Stroll then fell victim to Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian rising to 12th.

Out front, Russel had closed on Verstappen, launching an attack into the opening corner as they started Lap 12.

Using DRS, the Mercedes driver then continued his challenge into Turn 4, the pair coming close to contact but Verstappen holding on out front.

The exchange was repeated next time by, the pair running side by side through Turn 4 and 5, only for the champion-elect to hold on by his fingernails.

Alex Albon rolled to a halt in the run-off at Turn 1, which saw the zone covered by yellow flags and DRS disabled, preventing Russell from attacking once more.

That was quickly cleared and the battle resumed with Verstappen again having to defend into Turn 1.

He again took the inside line down the back straight, only for Russell to ease by courtesy of DRS around the outside to take the lead.

Hamilton was also moving forward from eighth on the grid, attacking Sainz for third into Turn 4 on Lap 16.

Rather than defending, Sainz attacked Verstappen into Turn 1 on Lap 19 to steal second place.

There was contact in the process, damaging the front wing endplate on the Red Bull which came under immediate attack from Hamilton.

The Brit completed the move with DRS, sailing by down the front straight to claim the spot moments later.

After that, the encounter settled down following an at times chaotic start, Russell going on to take his first F1 win from Sainz and Hamilton.

Verstappen held on to fourth, followed by Perez, Leclerc, Norris, while Magnussen held on to eighth to round out the points-paying positions.

A 10-second penalty for Stroll saw him demoted to 17th after his part in the clash with Vettel, while Alonso recovered to 15th following his early stop.

Ocon meanwhile slipped to 18th, ahead only of Nicholas Latifi with Albon the only retirement.

However, a post-race investigation loomed over Hamilton, Ricciardo, and Guanyu Zhou for a starting infringement thought to relate to their position in the grid box.

Meanwhile, Sainz will take a five-place penalty, meaning Mercedes could well enjoy a front-row lock out (though not pole position, which remains Magnussen’s even though he won’t start there).

Results: Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint