Valtteri Bottas wins Sprint to take pole for Sao Paulo GP

Valtteri Bottas. Pic/ AFP

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas won the Sprint in Brazil on Saturday to take pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

Meanwhile, Bottas teamamte Lewis Hamilton recovered from last place to fifth with a scintillating drive. Bottas, starting on soft tyres from P2, began with a huge launch off the line to pry the lead off medium-shod Verstappen, who went wide in the opening lap but rescued P2 by re-passing Sainz soon afterwards.

As those soft tyres began to drop off, Verstappen closed in on Bottas but ended up 1.1s off the Finn for P2 at the flag. Sainz, meanwhile, held off Sergio Perez for the final point by a second.

Ferrari's Leclerc was up to P5 at the start but lost the place to McLaren's Norris, who passed him in a stunning battle through the esses that culminated tn the straight up to Turn 4 on Lap 9. Leclerc finished seventh at the end, Norris sixth.

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