It was an undeniably tough weekend for all drivers at the São Paulo Grand Prix, with heavy rain causing delays, multiple crashes and a red flag, but Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc still managed to pick up some crucial points for Ferrari, which retains its second place in the Constructors’ Standings.
After the heavy rains forced FIA officials to postpone Saturday’s qualifying to 7.30am on Sunday morning, the grid woke at dawn on 3rd November hoping for a change in the weather. It wasn’t to be, however, and the continuing downpours wreaked havoc on the session, which saw some of the grid’s biggest names drop out in the early stages.
Monegasque Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc held on, though, earning himself P6 going into the race later that day. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, had less luck. Sainz lost control of the car in the wet conditions and crashed into the barrier, leading to a red flag. He would ultimately start the race from the pit lane, with Ferrari engineers rushing to repair his car in time for lights out.
Aborted start, safety cars and a red flag
The race began a little over three hours after the end of qualifying on the José Carlos Pace Circuit in Interlagos, and it was havoc from the off.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll got stuck in the gravel during the formation lap, meaning that the start was aborted. Once racing had begun, Leclerc got past RB’s Liam Lawson for fifth and maintained his position until he headed into the pits on Lap 25 for a new set of intermediate tyres.
Unfortunately, Ferrari’s strategy to get the Monegasque some clean air didn’t work out as planned, and Leclerc rejoined the race back in seventh and stuck in considerable traffic after a safety car went out because of the pouring rain. Then, a red flag was issued due to Williams’ Franco Colapinto finding the barriers.
The race was restarted after 24 minutes, and Leclerc was able to get past RB’s Yuki Tsunoda. Another opportunity came in Lap 43, when he got ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Three laps later, Russell took back fourth place and Charles continued on in P5 until the close of an intense and stressful time on track.
The race was won by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who made the most of a late-stage safety car to take P1 from Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, who finished in second. The third place on the podium went to Pierre Gasly, also driving for Alpine.
“It was a very long and tricky race, and the drivers on the podium today are those who did not put a foot wrong, so they really deserve it,” said Leclerc post-race. “I have mixed feelings about our race. On the one hand, it was a bit disappointing because we struggled to keep the car on track in these conditions, especially towards the end of the race, due to the way that we decided to set up our car for today. On the other hand, we finished ahead of both McLarens, which was a positive surprise and helps in our battle in the Constructors’ Championship. We are heading home now to recharge for the final triple-header of this season where we will give it our all to try and secure the team championship title.”
Over the course of the weekend, Leclerc picked up six points from his third-place finish in the Sprint race and 10 from his P5 finish in the São Paulo Grand Prix. Combined with Sainz’s four points from the Sprint, Ferrari managed to add 20 points to their tally in the Constructors’ Standings. The team retains second place behind the leaders, McLaren.
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Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre