Lewis Hamilton grabbed one of his greatest victories on Sunday, winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in dramatic fashion over title rival Max Verstappen. The seven-time world champion pulled off the win despite starting from P10 to slice Verstappen's lead in the Drivers' Championship to just 14 points with three races remaining in this epic 2021 F1 season.
Hamilton overcomes 25-place grid penalty
It was a stunning comeback by Hamilton, who started Saturday's Sprint in 20th place after being disqualified from qualifying for a rear wing infringement. Instead of starting the short sprint in pole position, Hamilton landed on the back of the grid. Mercedes and Hamilton did not like the FIA's decision one bit, but the British star used that perceived injustice as fuel for his stunning drive in the sprint where he jumped 15 places to finish fifth.
Hamilton had to start Sunday's race in 10th, though, as he served a five-place grid penalty for taking a fifth engine this season. Like in the sprint, Hamilton came out of the gates hot, climbing up to sixth at the end of the opening lap. After three laps, he jumped to fourth and eventually climbed to third place after his teammate Valtteri Bottas was ordered to swap places with him.
Soon after, Hamilton started hunting down the Red Bulls with the Briton passing Sergio Perez for second at Turn 4 of Lap 19. Hamilton tried to use the undercut on Lap 27 with his first pit stop, but Verstappen managed to respond and hold on to his lead.
Fearing that Mercedes will use the undercut again, Red Bull opted for Verstappen to make his second pit stop ahead of Hamilton on Lap 41. Hamilton stayed on the track for three more laps before making his second pit stop on Lap 44. At that point, the race was on, and the two title contenders almost collided again on Lap 48 with Verstappen and Hamilton going wide at Turn 4.
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Hamilton surges past Verstappen on Lap 59 to boost title bid
Mercedes demanded that Verstappen be penalized five seconds for that infringement, but after a short investigation, the FIA decided that no penalties would be given to the Red Bull driver. Hamilton was frustrated with that decision, but that did not deter him from making another overtaking attempt on Verstappen.
The winning moment came on Lap 59 with Hamilton making a pass on Verstappen with DRS on the run-up to Turn 4. Hamilton's overtake stuck this time around, sending the Brazilian fans in attendance into a frenzy.
After that brilliant move, Hamilton cruised to the win, with the Mercedes driver finishing the race 10.4 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Bottas took the last podium spot, finishing in P3 to bolster Mercedes' quest for another Constructors Championship.
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