Two Mercedes (Russell, Hamilton), two Ferraris (Sainz, Leclerc), Alonso’s Alpine fifth and, only in sixth and seventh place, the two of Red Bull. It does not even seem like a test of 2022, considering that the penultimate round of the world championship took place at Interlagos with the drivers and constructors rankings already won by Verstappen and Red Bull. The first victory in the career of George Russell, the young Englishman, has always been a promise of driving sports and a possible and concrete ‘moral’ and effective heir to Mercedes. Thanks to him and Hamilton, without controversy or friction like the other top teams, the home of the three-pointed star concludes an unforgettable weekend. Where Russell had already distinguished himself with the victory in the Sprint race on Saturday and today Hamilton was able to recover almost to the top after a collision following the restart of the first safety car. A grand prix that really lived up to expectations: on the other hand, it is difficult to remember a banal Sunday at Interlagos. Of course, with some points still up for grabs, mathematically it was possible to hope for some more sparks between Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc for second place in the ‘Driver Standings’, given that at the start of the race on Sunday there were only six points among the two and at the start only one position of difference. For a good part of the race it seemed like a losing battle, given that the Mexican was in front for a long time. However, due to a strong contact between Norris and Leclerc, the Monegasque was again compromised on Sunday and only Sainz was actually able to get on the podium. In the end, however, the two compacted, even too much. The last laps were in fact of great tension. Charles’ ‘suffering’ was felt after hearing two radio calls to the wall asking Carlos to give up the position. Of course, it would have been a matter of asking a colleague to give up a podium. And, in part, there was also an objective risk of putting a position at risk with an organized slowdown: Alonso, certainly not a rookie, was immediately behind and could have taken advantage of it with a coup. For him, however, with an abundant advantage over Norris, there was the direct challenge with Lewis Hamilton, who can still play in the last session of the year. So, no favors. It must be said that if someone is angry, others offended, others perhaps even indignant, Red Bull has perhaps unknowingly created the condition not to blame Ferrari: even Verstappen did not give up his sixth position towards Perez, with a situation however very different. The Dutchman, having already won the 2022 title, would not have had any sacrifice to pay in coming behind his teammate, while Perez is now exactly on equal points, 290, with Leclerc, but ahead in the direct confrontation for the number of victories. Will Max’s sympathy for the red world be born? These mathematical considerations are the most important to make when at the end of the season only budgets and ‘technical’ privileges linked to the positions conquered count, which also have an impact on the development parameters of the 2023 cars such as, one above all, the hours of development in wind tunnel during the coming winter.
