Europe 1 with AFP 10:01 p.m., November 13, 2022

Double blow and victory found for Mercedes!

Briton George Russell won his first Formula 1 victory on Sunday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, and gave the German manufacturer its first success of the season.

George Russell, 24, won at the end of a GP punctuated from the start by a safety car, then the clashes of Max Verstappen (Red Bull) with Lewis Hamilton, and that of Charles Leclerc with Lando Norris (McLaren ) when the race resumes.

"I'm speechless, in the return lap to the pits a lot of memories came to the surface", reacted, very moved, the poleman at the finish of the penultimate round of the season.

The Mercedes are ahead of the Ferraris of Spaniard Carlos Sainz, 3rd, and Monegasque Charles Leclerc.

Starting 3rd on the grid, Verstappen, already assured of his second world championship title this year, finished in an unusual 6th place.

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Mercedes versus Ferrari

Mercedes has come a long way since throughout the season, the German manufacturer has tried somehow to get rid of the problems linked to the new regulations of the season, which prevented it from competing with Red Bull.

For the German team, eight-time F1 world champion for constructors, this is the first success since the Saudi Arabian GP in December 2021, and the first double since 2020, with Valtteri Bottas instead of Russell.

In the constructors' championship, this double allows him to return to 19 lengths behind Ferrari, still second before the last race of the season, next weekend in Abu Dhabi.

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Fight for second place

Among the drivers, behind Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), in the fight for second place overall, leave Brazil with a perfect equality of points on the clock (290).

Pérez, struggling late in the race, finished 7th in Brazil.

Neither of the two drivers, who finished behind their respective teammates, could benefit from the favors of Sainz and Verstappen to grab points.

The Brazilian GP was the third and last in 2022 to offer the format with qualifying on Friday, qualifying sprint race on Saturday and GP on Sunday.