Overtaking rebooted: What F1 racing will be like in 2026
With DRS gone and active aero and energy modes arriving, F1’s 2026 overhaul could make overtaking more unpredictable than ever
Records fell at Interlagos, some obvious, some more obscure
1. Lewis Hamilton claimed his 52nd Grand Prix win, which takes him clear of Alain Prost in second in the all-time wins list. He’s now 39 behind Michael Schumacher.
2. It was also the 24th different circuit at which Hamilton has won, surpassing Schumacher’s record. That leaves only European GP host venue Baku on the current calendar yet to be ticked off by the triple world champion.
3. Hamilton and Nico Rosberg are tied on nine wins this season. Rosberg is guaranteed the title if he makes it 10 in Abu Dhabi, while if Hamilton wins Rosberg needs only to finish on the podium to be champion.
4. Resisting the temptation for inters meant Hamilton won without a pit-stop, changing tyres only during the red flags. The most recent pitstop-less win? Alain Prost, Hockenheim in 1993.
5. Mercedes now has 722 points, the number of Moss and Jenks’s Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes 300SL. In keeping, Ferrari is on 375, which claimed Ferrari’s first win. Renault is on eight…
6. Hamilton’s pole was Mercedes’s 19th of the season, a record.
7. Sauber scored points for the first time since last year’s United States GP, 24 races ago. This will be the first season since 2009 that every team has points on the board.
8. Max Verstappen added to his growing collection of records by becoming the youngest driver to set fastest lap.
9. Red Bull Racing is now assured second in the constructors’ championship.
10. The 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix was the 21st longest race in F1 history. All of the longer races were in the 1950s, except for the 2011 Canadian GP in which Button won in 4hr 4min 39.537 – the longest race in history.
Compiled along with Database curator Peter Higham
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