F1: Russell wins spectacular Sao Paulo Sprint Race

In a dramatic Friday qualifying where conditions were constantly changing, Kevin Magnussen in his HAAS managed to get the best out of the car and the conditions where he put his car on pole position for the sprint race.

Alongside Magnussen on the front row would be the current champion Max Verstappen, as George Russell would be starting from third. Russell brought out a red flag midway through Q3 leading to limited dry laps as the rain fell on the Interlagos circuit.

With sunny conditions for the Sprint race, it meant as the lights went out Kevin Magnussen would lead as Verstappen and Russell started to battle behind. Teammates Alonso and Ocon made contact multiple times on the first lap, with Alonso having to pit for a new front wing demoting him last, and leading to an angry Otmar Szafnaur.

Teammate contact would continue further down the order, with Sebastian Vettel being forced onto the grass by his teammate Lance Stroll for 11^th position. Stroll would later receive a 10-second penalty for the manoeuvre a couple of laps later which would drop Stroll down to 17^th position after the penalty was applied.

Slowly the pole sitter, Magnussen continued to drop back down to eighth position with the aim to score points in the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, his teammate Schumacher made his way through the grid to 12^th after starting in last position.

Upfront an incredible battle formed between Verstappen and Russell for the lead of the race, Verstappen managed to defend from the Brit for a handful of laps until Russell managed to find a way through. Once Russell made the pass Verstappen had no answer and started to drop back further toward Carlos Sainz.

The duo would eventually catch Verstappen leading to a fierce battle between Sainz and Verstappen, the two drivers would eventually make contact which resulted in Verstappen losing a part of his front wing endplate. The loss of downforce proved to be costly to Verstappen’s race as Sainz pulled away with Hamilton following through a couple of corners later.

George Russell would come across the line to win the Sprint race with Sainz and Hamilton joining him on the podium. This means that Russell will start in pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, his teammate Hamilton will be alongside him after Sainz received a five-grid position penalty due to an engine change.

After what was an incredible race, both fans and drivers alike will be hoping for more on Sunday. The Sao Paulo Grand Prix will be kicking off at 18:00 GMT.

Image: Mercedes F1 / Steve Etherington