Lewis Hamilton’s victory makes Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff happy, but not without a wish. He’s too upset that Hamilton’s World Cup rival Max Verstappen has finished the Formula 1 race in São Paulo with no impunity. It’s about the 48th of 71 laps.
If Lewis Hamilton hadn’t won the São Paulo Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff’s anger would probably have been even greater. But even so, the Austrian gave his anger at Max Verstappen’s defensive maneuver in lap 48 plenty of air: According to Wolff, it is an “absolute mess” to “not get a penalty for being pushed out”, as he explained on the Sky microphone. “If you do that, you have to expect a five-second penalty,” he told the Dutch Red Bull driver.
Verstappen was still in the lead at this point, but Hamilton was getting closer and closer to the World Cup leader. The seven-time champion had continued his terrific race to catch up from the sprint and started on the hunt for Verstappen from tenth on the grid. In order to leave the Grand Prix with the maximum yield despite being disqualified in qualifying, to reduce the gap in the drivers’ standings and to preserve his chances of winning the title with three races remaining.
The new engine in Hamilton’s Mercedes already appeared to be overpowering in the sprint on Saturday, and the top speed of the black painted Silver Arrow was also impressive in the race on Sunday. On the straight before turn four, the Briton had drawn in on Verstappen in this 48th of 71 laps in the slipstream. When turning in, the nose of Hamilton’s car was in front, on the outside he wanted to pass. But Verstappen held against it – and opened the steering.
The furious index finger
Hamilton reacted with lightning speed, both cars were driven far outwards and over the curbs. The fact that the logo of the tire sponsor applied there was run over by the World Cup rivals in a duel only made the scene even stranger. Verstappen was the first to steer back onto the track and kept his lead, Hamilton only a few tenths of a second behind. “That is exactly what it is about when it is always said: Let the boys go free,” the Red Bull box radioed to the race management shortly afterwards – apparently in the knowledge that there could be a penalty.
The rules say “forcing another driver off the track”, loosely translated as “pushing another driver off the track”. That is exactly what Verstappen had done in the eyes of many observers – but the race management decided not even to investigate. In round 53 the announcement followed: “No investigation necessary”. When Mercedes informed Hamilton about it, he only radioed back sarcastically: “Of course … of course.” Wolff became much clearer shortly after his protégé’s sixth win of the season: Verstappen’s maneuver “wiping under the carpet is actually embarrassing for the race management”.
And Hamilton has not only been known since this weekend for converting setbacks into motivation. On lap 59 he straightened up Verstappen again and overtook him on the straight before turn four. Shortly afterwards, the television pictures showed Wolff in the Mercedes garage, who was furious and pointed to the camera. “Put that in the Louvre”, the team later tweeted for the corresponding screenshot. The index finger and Wolff’s determined look suggest that there was a lot of satisfaction in this moment when Hamilton took the lead.
The anger with the Mercedes team boss shouldn’t last too long anyway. Because Hamilton, with his impressive win in São Paulo, reduced the gap in the drivers’ standings to 14 points. Because the Brit made up a total of 24 positions in sprints (from 20th to 5) and races (from 10 to 1). Because he can continue to become world champion on his own. And because, thanks to Valtteri Bottas ‘third place, Mercedes increased its lead in the constructors’ championship. If only from one point to eleven.