2019 Brazilian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Max Verstappen won a spectacular 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix as late drama produced first Formula One podiums for Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz. The Autódromo José Carlos Pace delivered repeated changes of fortune, a collision between the Ferraris and a final result that was not settled until after the podium ceremony.

Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:07.508
Fastest lap
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:10.698 on lap 43
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso
Third	Carlos Sainz	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
15 November 2019	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
15 November 2019	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
16 November 2019	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
16 November 2019	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
17 November 2019	Race	14:10

All times are local (UTC-03:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Both titles had been decided in the 2019 F1 World Championship, but the fight for third among the drivers and the midfield positions remained open. The short lap at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace offered another opportunity for close racing and strategic surprises.

Race entries

The usual 20 drivers entered the race. Nicholas Latifi replaced Robert Kubica in Williams‘ FP1 line-up, while Charles Leclerc faced a ten-place grid penalty for additional power-unit components.

Free Practice

Alexander Albon led a damp FP1 in 1:16.142 ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. His session ended with a crash, leaving Red Bull Racing with repairs despite the encouraging position at the top of the times.

Sebastian Vettel headed FP2 in 1:09.217, only 0.021 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas were close behind as dry running gave a clearer picture of the competitive order.

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest FP3 time in 1:08.320, with Max Verstappen just 0.026 seconds away. Charles Leclerc placed third before a qualifying session in which several teams appeared capable of challenging.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2019 Brazilian Grand Prix FP1, 15 November 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:16.142	9
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.551s	10
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.899s	13
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.143s	13
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.644s	16
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.757s	8
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.843s	9
8	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.958s	17
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.132s	16
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.417s	15
11	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.637s	18
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+3.105s	10
13	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+3.272s	6
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.390s	12
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.458s	18
16	40	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+3.868s	16
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	No time	3
18	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	No time	1
19	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	No time	3
20	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	No time	3

Free Practice 2 Classification

2019 Brazilian Grand Prix FP2, 15 November 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:09.217	30
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.021s	35
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.134s	33
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.156s	37
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.223s	39
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+0.926s	38
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.977s	32
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.993s	39
9	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.058s	31
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.093s	38
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.108s	31
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.135s	26
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.202s	36
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.207s	34
15	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.226s	31
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.287s	38
17	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.351s	33
18	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.483s	41
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.601s	36
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	No time	2

Free Practice 3 Classification

2019 Brazilian Grand Prix FP3, 16 November 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:08.320	17
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.026s	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.291s	20
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.344s	22
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.816s	17
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.881s	20
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+1.095s	22
8	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.142s	20
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.265s	18
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.268s	21
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.299s	21
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.305s	19
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.330s	17
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.393s	18
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.441s	17
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.478s	20
17	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.675s	19
18	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.992s	16
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.523s	19
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+2.885s	23

Qualifying

Max Verstappen took pole with a 1:07.508, ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Charles Leclerc was fourth in the session but would start fourteenth after his penalty, with Valtteri Bottas and Alexander Albon next in the qualifying order.

Pierre Gasly led the midfield in seventh, followed by Romain Grosjean, Kimi Räikkönen and Kevin Magnussen. Carlos Sainz failed to set a time because of a power-unit problem and would start last, making his eventual race result all the more remarkable.

Qualifying Classification

2019 Brazilian Grand Prix Qualifying, 16 November 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:08.242	1:07.503	1:07.508	12
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:08.556	1:08.050	1:07.631	15
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:08.614	1:08.088	1:07.699	16
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:08.496	1:07.888	1:07.728	20
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:08.545	1:08.232	1:07.874	17
6	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:08.503	1:08.117	1:07.935	14
7	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:08.909	1:08.770	1:08.837	22
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:09.197	1:08.705	1:08.854	16
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:09.276	1:08.858	1:08.984	20
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:08.875	1:08.803	1:09.037	15
11	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:08.891	1:08.868	—	13
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:09.086	1:08.903	—	12
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:09.175	1:08.919	—	14
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:09.050	1:08.921	—	12
15	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:09.288	1:09.035	—	14
16	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:09.320	—	—	10
17	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:09.536	—	—	9
18	63	George Russell	Williams	1:10.126	—	—	9
19	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	1:10.614	—	—	9
—	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	No time	—	—	2

Charles Leclerc received a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota for power unit components.

Carlos Sainz failed to set a Q1 time. He was allowed to race at the stewards discretion.

What happened in the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen kept the lead at the start, while Lewis Hamilton passed Sebastian Vettel for second. Charles Leclerc began climbing from fourteenth, and the leaders initially settled into a contest shaped by pit-stop timing rather than repeated on-track changes.

Lewis Hamilton stopped before Max Verstappen in an attempt to gain the lead. Red Bull Racing produced a very quick stop in response, but Verstappen lost time when Robert Kubica emerged from his pit box ahead of him. Hamilton moved in front, only for Verstappen to catch and pass him at Turn 1.

A later retirement for Valtteri Bottas brought out the safety car. Max Verstappen stopped for fresh tyres while Lewis Hamilton stayed out, reversing their positions once again. At the restart, Verstappen used his tyre advantage to reclaim the lead, and Alexander Albon passed Sebastian Vettel for third.

The two Ferraris then collided while fighting along the back straight after Charles Leclerc had passed Sebastian Vettel. Both cars retired, prompting another safety car. Mercedes brought Lewis Hamilton in for fresh tyres, leaving him behind Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly for the final restart.

Lewis Hamilton passed Pierre Gasly but made contact with Alexander Albon while attempting the next overtake. Albon spun out of podium contention, and Gasly regained second. Max Verstappen won, while Gasly narrowly beat Hamilton in a sprint to the finish line.

Lewis Hamilton received a five-second penalty after the race, dropping him to seventh and promoting Carlos Sainz from fourth to third. Sainz had climbed from last on the grid to claim his first podium and McLaren‘s first since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix. Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi took fourth and fifth for Alfa Romeo Racing, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.

Pierre Gasly‘s second place was also his first Formula One podium, completing a remarkable turnaround after his mid-season move back to Toro Rosso. Max Verstappen moved into third in the championship. Valtteri Bottas had set the fastest lap before retiring, so no bonus point was awarded: the fastest driver had not finished in the top ten.

2019 Brazilian Grand Prix race results

The 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix was held on 17 November 2019, with a scheduled start of 14:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	1:33:14.678	25
2	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	71	+6.077s	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	71	+8.896s	15
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	71	+9.452s	12
5	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	71	+10.201s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	71	+10.541s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+11.139s	6
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	71	+11.204s	4
9	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	71	+11.529s	2
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	71	+11.931s	1
11	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	71	+12.732s	0
12	63	George Russell	Williams	71	+13.599s	0
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	71	+14.247s	0
14	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	71	+14.927s	0
15	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	71	+18.059s	0
16	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	70	+1 lap	0
17	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	65	Collision	0
18	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	65	Collision	0
19	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	65	Suspension	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	51	Oil pressure	0

Lewis Hamilton originally finished third, but received a 5-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon.

Nico Hülkenberg originally finished 12th, but received a 5-second time penalty for overtaking under safety car conditions.

Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and Lance Stroll were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2019 Brazilian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	43	15:06:33	1:10.698	219.417
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	61	15:31:34	1:10.862	218.909
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	46	15:09:48	1:11.082	218.232
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	52	15:17:38	1:11.087	218.217
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	51	15:16:06	1:11.384	217.309
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	63	15:34:02	1:11.423	217.190
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	63	15:34:13	1:12.328	214.472
8	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	49	15:14:51	1:12.385	214.304
9	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	65	15:36:31	1:12.425	214.185
10	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	65	15:36:44	1:12.603	213.660
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	44	15:08:40	1:12.733	213.278
12	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	64	15:35:27	1:12.840	212.965
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	64	15:35:29	1:12.934	212.690
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	49	15:14:40	1:13.020	212.440
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	65	15:36:37	1:13.135	212.106
16	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	63	15:34:10	1:13.158	212.039
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	65	15:36:45	1:13.262	211.738
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	29	14:49:48	1:13.619	210.711
19	63	George Russell	Williams	57	15:26:35	1:13.752	210.331
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	63	15:35:36	1:14.553	208.072

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2019 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.

2019 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	387
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	314
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	260
4	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	249
5	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	230
6	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Red Bull Racing / Toro Rosso	95
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	95
8	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing / Toro Rosso	84
9	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	54
10	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	46
11	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	45
12	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	43
13	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	37
14	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	Toro Rosso	35
15	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	21
16	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	20
17	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	14
18	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	8
19	Robert Kubica	POL	Williams	1
20	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0

2019 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	701
2	Ferrari	479
3	Red Bull Racing	391
4	McLaren	140
5	Renault	91
6	Toro Rosso	83
7	Racing Point	67
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	57
9	Haas	28
10	Williams	1

2019 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2019 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit , Melbourne	17 March
2	2019 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	31 March
3	2019 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	14 April
4	2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	28 April
5	2019 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	12 May
6	2019 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco , Monte Carlo	26 May
7	2019 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve , Montréal	9 June
8	2019 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	23 June
9	2019 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	30 June
10	2019 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit , Silverstone	14 July
11	2019 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	28 July
12	2019 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring , Mogyoród	4 August
13	2019 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	1 September
14	2019 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , Monza	8 September
15	2019 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	22 September
16	2019 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	29 September
17	2019 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	13 October
18	2019 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	27 October
19	2019 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	3 November
20	2019 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace , São Paulo	17 November
21	2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	1 December