The Safety Car period towards the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix meant the final result didn’t reflect last weekend’s striking development: Mercedes’ unexpected turn of speed.
The team has been chipping away at its huge deficit to the front runners since the season began. In Brazil for the first time this year they were the clear pace-setters in race trimAlthough George Russell set the fastest lap of the race, he seldom had to extend himself at the front of the field. Lewis Hamilton, however, had ground to make up following his lap seven collision with Max Verstappen.
The clash dropped Hamilton six seconds off the lead and he was almost 10 seconds in arrears by the time he fought his way out of the worst of the traffic. He ran a long first stint on the soft tyres and unleashed the pace of his car after his first pit stop on lap 30.
Hamilton ran five laps longer than his team mate at the start of the race and was eager to run long again in his middle stint on the medium tyre compound. However his team brought him in after just 19 laps on those tyres – the lap before Russell. That ensured he kept ahead of Sergio Perez, who had just pitted behind them.
The Safety Car period which followed was bad news for anyone who was left with the medium tyres for their last stint. That included Perez, who fell from third place to seventh in the final laps. He expected to regain one place from Max Verstappen, who he’d allowed through to attack Fernando Alonso, but to Perez’s obvious disappointment his team mate refused to hand the place back even after failing to pass the Alpine.
Sebastian Vettel was another driver who lucked out badly at the end of the race. He ran as high as third at one stage, but fell back as he lost around a second in the pits on each visit, and ended up having to give the final point to his team mate.
When the chequered flag fell, Russell was four seconds ahead of the leading Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, and the first of the Red Bulls was another six seconds back. But before the Safety Car period Russell had 16 seconds on Perez and 21 on Sainz, indicating the true scale of Mercedes’ pace advantage over the race distance.
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2022 Brazilian Grand Prix lap chart
The positions of each driver on every lap. Click name to highlight, right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:
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2022 Brazilian Grand Prix race chart
The gaps between each driver on every lap compared to the leader’s average lap time. Very large gaps omitted. Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and right-click to reset. Toggle drivers using controls below:
2022 Brazilian Grand Prix lap times
All the lap times by the drivers (in seconds, very slow laps excluded). Scroll to zoom, drag to pan and toggle drivers using the control below:
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2022 Brazilian Grand Prix fastest laps
Each driver’s fastest lap:
Rank | No. | Driver | Car | Lap time | Gap | Average speed (kph) | Lap no. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1’13.785 | 210.24 | 61 | |
2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1’13.942 | 0.157 | 209.79 | 63 |
3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 1’13.953 | 0.168 | 209.76 | 65 |
4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine-Renault | 1’14.164 | 0.379 | 209.16 | 62 |
5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1’14.195 | 0.410 | 209.08 | Multiple laps |
6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1’14.253 | 0.468 | 208.91 | 63 |
7 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 1’14.283 | 0.498 | 208.83 | 62 |
8 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’14.831 | 1.046 | 207.3 | 50 |
9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1’15.093 | 1.308 | 206.58 | 65 |
10 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas-Ferrari | 1’15.251 | 1.466 | 206.14 | 63 |
11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | 1’15.327 | 1.542 | 205.93 | 64 |
12 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1’15.327 | 1.542 | 205.93 | 59 |
13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Red Bull | 1’15.508 | 1.723 | 205.44 | 63 |
14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’15.511 | 1.726 | 205.43 | 62 |
15 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin-Mercedes | 1’15.549 | 1.764 | 205.33 | 64 |
16 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1’15.613 | 1.828 | 205.16 | 49 |
17 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1’15.802 | 2.017 | 204.64 | 64 |
18 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1’15.855 | 2.070 | 204.5 | 48 |
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2022 Brazilian Grand Prix tyre strategies
The tyre strategies for each driver:
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2022 Brazilian Grand Prix pit stop times
How long each driver’s pit stops took:
Rank | No. | Driver | Team | Complete stop time (s) | Gap to best (s) | Stop no. | Lap no. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 22.869 | 1 | 23 | |
2 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 23.009 | 0.14 | 3 | 52 |
3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 23.124 | 0.255 | 3 | 44 |
4 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | 23.152 | 0.283 | 2 | 47 |
5 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 23.172 | 0.303 | 2 | 21 |
6 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 23.287 | 0.418 | 1 | 20 |
7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 23.322 | 0.453 | 3 | 47 |
8 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 23.328 | 0.459 | 2 | 35 |
9 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 23.352 | 0.483 | 2 | 25 |
10 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 23.415 | 0.546 | 2 | 48 |
11 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 23.46 | 0.591 | 1 | 19 |
12 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 23.469 | 0.6 | 1 | 29 |
13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 23.478 | 0.609 | 1 | 14 |
14 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 23.48 | 0.611 | 2 | 49 |
15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 23.483 | 0.614 | 2 | 36 |
16 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 23.521 | 0.652 | 1 | 24 |
17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 23.635 | 0.766 | 3 | 54 |
18 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 23.64 | 0.771 | 3 | 52 |
19 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 23.645 | 0.776 | 2 | 40 |
20 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 23.764 | 0.895 | 2 | 48 |
21 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 23.79 | 0.921 | 3 | 52 |
22 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 23.816 | 0.947 | 3 | 53 |
23 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 23.868 | 0.999 | 1 | 24 |
24 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 23.908 | 1.039 | 1 | 24 |
25 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 24.028 | 1.159 | 2 | 45 |
26 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 24.081 | 1.212 | 1 | 29 |
27 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 24.102 | 1.233 | 3 | 48 |
28 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 24.248 | 1.379 | 1 | 26 |
29 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 24.292 | 1.423 | 2 | 32 |
30 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 24.332 | 1.463 | 1 | 16 |
31 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 24.361 | 1.492 | 1 | 4 |
32 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 24.445 | 1.576 | 2 | 47 |
33 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 24.487 | 1.618 | 1 | 24 |
34 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 24.616 | 1.747 | 2 | 45 |
35 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 24.669 | 1.8 | 2 | 45 |
36 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 25.111 | 2.242 | 2 | 37 |
37 | 47 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 25.156 | 2.287 | 2 | 46 |
38 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | 25.206 | 2.337 | 1 | 17 |
39 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 28.807 | 5.938 | 1 | 20 |
40 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 28.855 | 5.986 | 2 | 35 |
41 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 29.338 | 6.469 | 1 | 24 |
42 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 30.08 | 7.211 | 1 | 7 |
43 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 30.942 | 8.073 | 1 | 7 |
44 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 31.682 | 8.813 | 2 | 23 |
grapmg
15th November 2022, 7:40
Different tyre strategy for Occon and Alonso but the last stint after the SC both on the soft and Occon’s tyre’s were only 5 laps older. In that respect a harsh call. George fastest lap in 61 when he needed that 1s gap after SC put in 3 almost identical lap times.
Baleux (@baleux)
15th November 2022, 9:25
Any chance we could get the lap times chart for the Sprint?