Brazil GP Takeaways: Russell, Magnussen get their moment; Max stuns Checo

Following each race weekend this season, theScore's editors offer their takeaways. We continue with the Brazil GP:

Mercedes back on top

It took until the penultimate race on the 2022 calendar, but Mercedes is finally in the form F1 fans have become so familiar with over the past decade. While the implications might ultimately be minor this year, this brilliant weekend represents incredible momentum heading into next season.

To start, George Russell outperformed everyone except Kevin Magnussen and Max Verstappen in Friday's qualifying, even posting one of the fastest Q2 lap times - before it got a bit damp - behind Verstappen and the two Ferraris. If Russell hadn't beached himself in the final round of qualifying, he likely would've threatened for the top spot.

Those hypotheticals don't matter, though. Russell shone in the sprint race anyways, overtaking Verstappen with ease to claim pole position for Sunday's Grand Prix. And, to top it off, Hamilton crossed the line second to clinch Mercedes' first front-row lockout of the season.

From there, it was as clinical a finish as fans have ever seen from Mercedes, which finished 1-2 while God Save The King played for the first time all season - or ever, in fact. And crucially, Russell - the driver with less experience - proved he can win, even with a seven-time champion breathing down his neck.

It marked Russell's first victory in F1 in his 81st race.

"I'm speechless," Russell said. "On the in-lap, all of these memories sort of come flooding back, starting off with my mum and dad in go-karting, and going through all the support I've had from the rest of my family, my girlfriend, my trainer, my manager. I can't thank them enough. Yeah, super proud."

While Mercedes is still in a dogfight with Ferrari for second in constructors standings heading into the final race weekend - merely 19 points behind the Prancing Horses - Brazil was really a crucial shot across the bow of Red Bull and every other would-be contender for the 2023 title.

Following the race, chief engineer Andrew Shovlin noted that Mercedes' car and team development feel ahead of schedule heading into next season. We hadn't seen that type of confidence from this team all year. Two elite drivers, a great car, and everything going right. Mercedes never left. - Michael Bradburn

Max 'shows who he really is'

Verstappen already claimed his second drivers' championship in Japan, and Red Bull wrapped up the constructors' title in Austin. However, all is not well in the team's garage.

Despite nothing to race for in Brazil, Verstappen defiantly ignored team orders on the final lap and refused to let teammate Sergio Perez - who's fighting for second place in the drivers' standings - overtake him for sixth. Instead, Perez placed seventh, collecting six points rather than eight. As a result, he sits tied with Charles Leclerc for second at 290 points. Leclerc holds the tiebreaker as he has three wins on the season compared to Perez's two.

"I told you already last time. Don't ask that again to me - are we clear about that?" Verstappen said over radio when asked why he didn't let Perez pass. "I gave my reasons, and I stand by it."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner apologized to Checo immediately over the radio, but that appeared to do little to remedy the situation.

"It shows who he really is," Perez said of Verstappen.

It's an uncomfortable way to finish what was a dream season for Red Bull, and there's little excusing Verstappen's actions.

It's rumored Verstappen's frustrations stem from a qualifying session in Monaco earlier in the season where Perez crashed late in Q3, preventing Verstappen to improve on his time. Perez qualified one spot ahead of Verstappen and eventually won the race, while Verstappen placed third.

Verstappen declined to comment when asked if the Monaco incident was the reason for his actions in Brazil, instead saying things were already handled behind closed doors.

Even if Verstappen was upset about what happened in Monaco and believes Perez crashed on purpose, why is he still holding on to that 14 races later? Why is Verstappen, who was racing for nothing, unwilling to help his teammate finish ahead of him and secure crucial points when it didn't even come at the expense of Verstappen landing on the podium?

This was the easiest opportunity Verstappen had all year to build some goodwill, and he blew it. Not only did he insult his teammate, but he also threw his entire team under the bus with his me-first attitude.

F1 likes to pretend it's a team sport, but the reality is the drivers are racing for themselves. That's fine, to a degree. But Verstappen doesn't win his first drivers' championship last season if it weren't for Perez's heroics in Abu Dhabi when he held up Hamilton in order to give Verstappen a chance to get back in the race.

"Checo's a legend," Verstappen said over team radio last year.

I guess feelings have changed.

Verstappen said postrace in Brazil that he'd be willing to do what it takes at the Yas Marina Circuit to help Perez. However, the damage within the team, and to an extent, Verstappen's reputation, is already done. - Brandon Wile

Magnussen's mega moment

Haas definitely didn't look like a bunch of wankers this week.

Kevin Magnussen was briefly the star of the weekend, claiming the first pole position of his career after 141 entries in F1. That's the third-longest wait for a pole position in F1 history, behind only Perez (216) and Sainz (151).

It was made even better by the fact Magnussen was treated like a star by so many of his fellow drivers. He got congratulations from a bunch of competitors on the grid, including Russell, Verstappen, Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, and former Haas teammate Romain Grosjean, among many others.

Magnussen is also the latest driver to become a first-time pole sitter in 2022, joining Perez, Russell, and Sainz, lending even more credence to the increased parity created by the new F1 car and regulations.

Adding levity to the accomplishment, Magnussen said he "forgot to really enjoy" his time in the lead during Saturday's sprint race. Haas fans will be rooting for him to get his next chance to savor it a bit more.

Of course, every good story has a downside as well. Mick Schumacher is fighting for his F1 life down the stretch. The fact that he wasn't even able to make it out of Q1 while his teammate in the same car advanced twice while posting the fastest time in Q3 doesn't help his chances of sticking around. He finished dead last. Did Magnussen's mega effort act as Schumacher's unofficial death nil? - Bradburn

Last chance for Lewis' streak

The seven-time champion has something to race for next weekend in Abu Dhabi.

In every single season since 2007, Hamilton has won at least one race. The problem, though, is the Brit hasn't crossed the line first during this campaign, jeopardizing the 15-year streak.

This is more a storyline for fans of greatness than it is for Hamilton, though, as he doesn't seem to care at all about the ultimately meaningless chase so long as the team is doing well.

"Firstly, a huge congratulations to George," Hamilton - always known to maintain perspective - said after finishing second in Brazil. "What an amazing drive he did today, he did an amazing qualifying yesterday. He truly deserves it.

"To my team back at the factory and here, this is an incredible result, we worked so hard for a 1-2, for a win. Hugely deserved, big, big thank you."

Two teammates on a top-flight team working together for the greater good - imagine that. - Bradburn

Lots to race for in Abu Dhabi

While this season finale won't be nearly as exciting as last year's Verstappen-Hamilton epic battle, there's plenty at stake next weekend.

As mentioned above, the battle in the drivers' standings remains fully on:

• Leclerc has never finished higher than fourth in the drivers' standings; he finished seventh in 2021.
• Perez finished fourth in 2020 and 2021.
• Hamilton will need to win in Abu Dhabi, secure the fastest lap, and have Russell fail to score points in order to finish above his teammate. A fifth-place finish would be Hamilton's lowest since 2011.

• The fiercest battle on the track might come from the Alpine teammates, who are separated by just five points. There's clearly a rivalry between the two, and they likely won't play nice in their final race for the French team.
• However, Alpine is just 19 points ahead of McLaren for fourth in the constructors' standings. Expect team principal Otmar Szafnauer to once again do his part to try and keep his drivers from misbehaving.

• After winning eight straight titles from 2014-2021, Mercedes will try to salvage the year by grabbing a second-place finish, but it won't be easy. Ferrari hasn't finished second since 2019, falling as low as sixth in 2020.

• There's plenty of money on the line for the lower-tier teams.
• It could be the final F1 race for Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel, Nicholas Latifi, and Mick Schumacher.