George Russell, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly have received two-place grid penalties for the São Paulo Grand Prix. Russell had to report to the race stewards after Alpine complained on behalf of Pierre Gasly, but Alpine was also screwed and both drivers were punished.
In Mexico there was still a lot of fuss about drivers stopping at the exit of the pit lane to create free air for their fast lap. FIA as a governing body was not happy with this, and so a new rule was introduced. Before qualifying, it was made clear that the drivers were no longer allowed to stand still at the end of the pit lane in order to create a gap. They were allowed to drive slowly at the exit of the pit lane, as long as they kept to the left, so that other drivers could pass.
According to the FIA, that did not do well enough for the three penalized drivers. Russell set the sixth fastest time in Q3, but with his grid penalty he drops to eighth place. Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz benefit from this and move up one spot. Gasly dropped out in Q2 and was stuck in thirteenth place. However, the incident happened at the start of Q1, and had no major consequences, as both Russell and Gasly progressed to Q2 without any problems.
Also Alpine the tenderloin
Alpine actually complained about Russell, but was itself the biggest loser. Ocon and Gasly took starting positions twelve and thirteen, but now drop one row back to fourteenth and fifteenth position. Haas benefits from this, because Kevin Magnussen moves from fourteen to twelve. Alexander Albon also gains a starting row, and now starts not fifteenth, but thirteenth. It will now be a lot more difficult for Alpine to get points.
Verstappen can take his sixteenth win of the season this weekend in Brazil. Also betting on F1? Register now at JACKS and receive 60 euros in free bets! If you play responsibly, you keep it fun. What does gambling cost you? Stop on time, 18+
