Following a brilliant sprint race on Saturday, it was time for the Brazilian GP, and George Russell did well to lead the pack away from his first pole position start.
The Red Bulls followed behind with the cars coming two by two at the end of the first lap.
Friday qualifying hero, Kevin Magnussen’s hopes of finishing the weekend well came to an abrupt end however.
A first lap crash with the outgoing Daniel Ricciardo saw both drivers race end early.
After such a promising weekend, the Dane leaves Sao Paulo with a mere one point to show for his efforts.
Following a SC period it seemed like the first race of the season again, with every driver looking desperate to gain positions.
Last seasons arch-rivals Hamilton and Verstappen came to blows with the Dutchman making a move down the inside of T2.
Both cars suffered serious damage with the Red Bull making a pit stop while Hamilton dropped down the field.
F1’s stars of the future then tangled when Leclerc was clipped by the McLaren of Lando Norris sending him into a spin.
The Monegasque driver managed to get the car going again, but headed for an early pit stop so the Ferrari team could assess the damage.
Lap 25 and a flurry of pitstops meant the wounded Hamilton now found himself out in front, although on worn tyres.
Carlos Sainz was the only runner on the soft tyre in third although it remained to be seen whether he would be able to maintain their quality through the race.
The battle between Alpine and McLaren has been raging on all season with the French team sitting seven points ahead before todays race.
They made a huge leap towards securing fourth place with a strong showing from both drivers.
They were aided of course by Ricciardo’s early retirement.
Out front, Russell was controlling the race with maturity beyond his years.
He continued to extend the gap at the front easing away from Sergio Perez while Hamilton hunted him down in third.
There were moves being made down the field as drivers who had been involved in incidents, such as Leclerc and Verstappen, shot up the field.
Hamilton, fresh from his honorary citizenship announcement, looked like a man possessed.
He breezed past Perez at T1 on lap 45 elevating him to 2nd place.
The second round of pit stops brought some action and debate over the team radio.
Hamilton took objection to pitting so early although the move was made with the intention of covering Perez. Something they did successfully.
It took the sting out of the race as Russell appeared to be cruising.
However, like so many times before, the F1 gods won’t just let a race fizzle out.
The sole remaining McLaren pulled over to the side of the track with car troubles on lap 52.
Norris looked despondent as he looked at his stricken car on the side of the track.
A feeling that was not shared by myself and I imagine every branch of F1 fans besides Russell fanatics.
A VSC quickly became a Safety Car and with it the field was together again.
Lap 60 and we were underway.
For the second time this weekend we had a sprint to the finish.
The Mercedes charged away out front while Perez, who was the only one of the frontrunners still on the medium compound, held off the Ferraris. The Mexican is only just ahead of Leclerc in the WDC.
Alonso and Ocon capped a fine day of racing for Alpine making positions that catapulted them up to 6th and 9th.
Watching the Spaniard still turn in scintillating displays does make you wonder what he could do in a top car.
One of his former teams made progress shortly after with Sainz putting himself in 3rd position and relegating Perez in the process.
Leclerc followed him through shortly after. A great comeback after his spin in the early stages of the race.
It was one of those races where drivers seemed to be fighting for pride one minute, then podiums the next.
Classic Brazil, aye.
Checo’s mediums were fading fast and shortly after Alonso and his teammate – who also made a fantastic recovery following an early incident – went flying past relegating him to 7th.
Bottas and Stroll did well to secure 9th and 10th to bring home some valuable points for their respective teams.
However the day belonged to George Russell who came home for his first win in his F1 career.
It was truly a stellar drive from the Brit who was incredibly calm and composed all day to outshine his multiple championship-winning teammate.
Hamilton came home in 2nd securing the teams first 1-2 of the season while Sainz took third – despite Leclerc’s calls to swap the drivers with the championship in mind.
The battle hots up for second in the WDC with Leclerc shaving a few points off Checo in the standings.
An underwhelming day for the machine-like Red Bull team who came home 6th and 7th.
It seems their focus has shifted to 2023 and that makes the last race of the season all the more exciting.
Who will win?
See you in Abu Dhabi.