The short burst sprint qualifying sessions this season at Silverstone and Monza barely produced hard racing which F1 had initially anticipated. And, coming to the Sao Paulo GP, the fans predicted yet another stale 30 minutes around the Interlagos circuit.

However, in reality, it was an entirely different story earlier this afternoon, thanks to an almost reverse grid, with Lewis Hamilton starting from the back of the pack. The Briton, hours before the start of the sprint, faced disqualification from Friday’s qualifying session.

But, what followed was a mind-blowing drive from the 7-time world champion, as he charged his way through the field to claim P5. Let’s spell it out to you in numbers to exaggerate the kind of effort he invested in the adrenaline-pumping race.

15 overtaking maneuvers in a span of 24 laps around one of the shortest circuits of the racing calendar. Impressed enough? Well, Hamilton’s task is only halfway over, as he will drop a further 5 places ahead of Sunday’s main event due to the engine penalty.

Bottas comes to the rescue of Hamilton

In what has been a painful 24 hours for Hamilton, Mercedes desperately needed Bottas to step up and challenge Verstappen for pole. And the Finn lived up to his team’s expectations, as he snatched the lead from Verstappen around the first corner of lap 1, and never gave it away at any point.

But, Sunday could be quite interesting to watch, as Mercedes might try and use Bottas as a distraction against Verstappen while Hamilton battles his way through the field into the top 3. Hence, a Hamilton win is still very much on cards, considering the pace he showcased in the sprint.

But, before we shift our focus too far ahead, take a look at how the grid lines up for Sunday’s Sao Paulo GP

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Starting grid for the Sao Paulo GP

1. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
9. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
10. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) [+5]
11. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
12. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
13. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
15. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
16. Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
17. George Russell (Williams)
18. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
19. Mick Schumacher (Haas)
20. Nikita Mazepin (Haas)

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