Russell takes maiden F1 win at Sao Paulo GP

By Trend

George Russell won his first F1 race - and Mercedes' first of 2022 - in Sunday's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Starting from pole position after having come home first in Saturday's Sprint race, Russell led the field away from the front and was never truly threatened as he saw out his maiden win in a race that featured two Safety Car periods.

"What an amazing feeling," Russell said. "It has been an emotional rollercoaster this season.

"This was a tough race, I felt in control.

"Lewis was super-fast and when I saw the Safety Car, I thought this is going to be a really difficult end, he put me under so much pressure. I am speechless."

Behind Russell, Lewis Hamilton made it a Mercedes 1-2 after coming through the field having dropped to ninth on Lap 1 after a collision with Max Verstappen, for which the Dutchman was slapped with a five-second time penalty.

Carlos Sainz rounded out the top three, with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc recovering to finish fourth after having been tipped into a spin following an early tangle with Lando Norris.