After a sprint race – the 24 laps that determine the GP grid – bucked the trend for the short-format to be a grueling affair, Russell’s win, his first in F1, albeit not a Grand Prix, and Hamilton’s charge from eighth to third suggests they have a car that can end the drought. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took second, but with a five-place penalty, so Hamilton was promoted to the front row from third, the first time Mercedes has dropped her this season. With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finishing fourth and starting Sunday in third, Mercedes have the opportunity to lead from the front and dictate strategy over their rival. “This is an amazing result for us,” Hamilton acknowledged. “Being in the front row is incredible. Hopefully we can work as a team and hold these guys back. We’ll have a good game on our hands tomorrow. A win here would be incredible.” A strong battle awaits, mainly because Verstappen’s pace was deceptively poor. He was one of only two drivers to take to the track on the slower medium tires and paid the price for saving a set of soft rubbers for Sunday’s race. Having passed Kevin Magnussen for the lead, he was left scrambling as Russell overtook him, as did Sainz and then Hamilton. It wasn’t just about rubber, though. Mercedes looked as competitive as at any time this season, the mercurial car showing pace in the uphill challenge of Interlagos. Russell and Hamilton showed confidence in the handling and speed that have been so elusive and both drivers expect to try to exploit their positions on the front row against Verstappen, who will be expected to be much quicker on Sunday. “Between the two of us we’re definitely going to be strategic to try and get that win for the team,” Russell said. “I think we’ll split the strategy to cover all the options.” A win would be huge for Mercedes. The team will want to have something to show for a year during which they toiled relentlessly to get up to speed with their reckless car. They haven’t won since last year’s Saudi GP, a 21-race streak, and securing at least one win this season would be a huge morale booster for the team who haven’t gone a full season without one since 2011. Hamilton showed his usual ability to power through the field with determined confidence, just as he did here last year, but Russell showed a deft, assertive touch that caught the eye. He battled with Verstappen for three laps for the lead. The Dutchman was defiant and unwilling to concede easily until the 24-year-old from King’s Lynn managed to take his first checkered flag in F1. He wants what counts on Sunday, however, and both drivers will go into the race with little hope of their chances of finally putting the Silver Arrows back on top. The best of our sports journalism from the last seven days and a heads-up of the weekend’s action Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. There was no fairytale ending for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. Having taken his first pole position on Friday in qualifying, he was powerless against the fastest cars around him and finished eighth. Sergio Pérez was fifth for Red Bull, Charles Leclerc sixth for Ferrari and Lando Norris seventh for McLaren. Sebastian Vettel was ninth for Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly tenth for AlphaTauri.
