Hamilton passes Verstappen to win from 10th on grid

Lewis Hamilton charged from 10th to win Formula 1’s 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, beating world title rival Max Verstappen in a thrilling and controversial wheel-to-wheel duel late in the race.

Verstappen took second ahead of Valtteri Bottas, with the Dutchman getting a warning from the FIA for his defending against Hamilton at one stage, although escaping an investigation for an incident that had both title contenders going off track.

At the start, in a near repeat of the sprint race getaway, Verstappen this time accelerated better from the left-hand side of the grid and was immediately alongside polesitter Bottas, who hung on around the outside of the first corner.

But Verstappen ran the Mercedes out wide on the exit of the first part of the Senna Esses to seal the move and take the lead.

Just behind, Lando Norris got an excellent start to shoot alongside the slow-starting Carlos Sainz in third, with the McLaren going far to the right of the track as it passed the Ferrari, but as Norris drifted back left in preparation to taking the first corners, the two touch and the Briton picked up an immediate puncture.

While he ran off track and fell to the rear of the pack, Bottas’s slower trajectory through the opening corners after being nearly fully off-track at the exit of Turn 1 meant Perez was able to get alongside him as they raced down the second straight.

As the braked for the downhill Turn 4 left at the end, Bottas slid wide as he could not hold his speed on the tighter line, gifting Perez third as the following Ferraris – led by Charles Leclerc after Sainz’s poor start – and Pierre Gasly also briefly shot through the Turn 4 runoff.

Verstappen had a 1.2-second lead over Perez at the end of the first tour of 71, by which point Hamilton had already gained three places in the start melee from his 10th place grid spot and then passed Sebastian Vettel to take sixth at the start of lap two.

He passed Sainz and Leclerc at the same spot in successive laps, with Bottas then ordered to pull over at the start of lap five and give his teammate third place.

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