Sebastian Vettel took some of the sting off his Formula One championship defeat by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos on Sunday.
The Formula One championships have been wrapped up, meaning the Brazilian Grand Prix was just straight up racing, with nothing but the win on the line. Sebastian Vettel would come home to victory on Sunday at Interlagos, winning the Brazilian Grand Prix after just missing out on the F1 championship two weeks prior in Mexico City.
Vettel held off a hard-charging Valtteri Bottas for the win on Sunday, who had started on pole at the start of the race. Fellow Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen would round out the podium spots in third, battling hard in the closing laps to keep Lewis Hamilton at bay. The champion-to-be in Formula One had to start his race from the pit lane following a crash in his first flying lap in qualifying, but rallied to finish fourth on Sunday.
The race was not run without incidents, with three cars colliding on the opening lap in the second turn. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo got spun around after contact with Stoffel Vandoorne and Kevin Magnussen. Both Vandoorne and Magnussen would be eliminated in the incident. Later, Romain Grosjean of Haas F1 would tangle with Esteban Ocon of Force India, leading to Grosjean serving a ten-second penalty.
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The Brazilian Grand Prix also served as the final home race for Williams driver Felipe Massa, who will retire from Formula One racing at the end of the season. In an emotional farewell to the fans, Massa was invited up into the podium celebration to address his fans and countrymen, and relish one last time the home crowd.
Here are the full race results from the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos:
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, Scuderia Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mercedes AMG Petronas
- Max Verstappen, Renault, Red Bull Racing
- Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, Red Bull Racing
- Felipe Massa, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Fernando Alonso, Honda, McLaren
- Sergio Perez, Mercedes, Force India
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, Renault Sport
- Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault, Renault Sport
- Pierre Gasly, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Marcus Ericsson, Ferrari, Sauber
- Pascal Wehrlein, Ferrari, Sauber
- Romain Grosjean, Ferrari, Haas F1
- Lance Stroll, Mercedes, Williams Martini Racing
- Brendon Hartley, Renault, Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Esteban Ocon, Mercedes, Force India
- Stoffel Vandoorne, Honda, McLaren
- Kevin Magnussen, Ferrari, Haas F1
Next: Projected F1 Driver Lineup for 2018 Season
The final race of the Formula One world championship in 2017 comes from the Middle East. Coverage of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix can be seen on Sunday, November 26, with the race live in the United States on NBCSN and the NBC Sports app.