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Brazilian Grand Prix: Alex Albon fastest in Brazil before crashing
Second practice is live on 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website
Alexander Albon brought a wet first practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix to a premature end with a crash on slick tyres on a damp track.
The Anglo-Thai, who this week was confirmed as a Red Bull driver for 2020, lost control at the last corner, Juncao, and broke the front suspension and wing.
Albon also ended the session fastest after running when the track was driest on intermediate tyres a few minutes earlier.
His team-mate Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also had offs in the treacherous conditions.
They both lost control at Turn Two but neither caused any damage.
Verstappen spun, at almost the same time as Albon went off, and was able to continue without hitting anything. Leclerc merely had a wobble.
And Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat also spun, this time at Turn One, as he also tried the untreated dry-weather tyres.
The list of times were unrepresentative because of the changing conditions, but Albon was quickest by 0.551 seconds from Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc.
The track started very wet at the beginning of the session after heavy rain, but the rain stopped shortly after the end of the session.
The track progressively dried but the incidents at the end proved it was not quite enough for slick tyres.
While it was wet for the first practice session on Friday, rain is not forecast for qualifying on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday
Sergio Perez's Racing Point cockpit in the pits at the Interlagos
Swami
Second practice is live on 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website
Alexander Albon brought a wet first practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix to a premature end with a crash on slick tyres on a damp track.
The Anglo-Thai, who this week was confirmed as a Red Bull driver for 2020, lost control at the last corner, Juncao, and broke the front suspension and wing.
Albon also ended the session fastest after running when the track was driest on intermediate tyres a few minutes earlier.
His team-mate Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also had offs in the treacherous conditions.
- Brazilian Grand Prix first practice results
- Hamilton to negotiate new F1 contract
- Albon named Red Bull second driver for 2020
They both lost control at Turn Two but neither caused any damage.
Verstappen spun, at almost the same time as Albon went off, and was able to continue without hitting anything. Leclerc merely had a wobble.
And Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat also spun, this time at Turn One, as he also tried the untreated dry-weather tyres.
The list of times were unrepresentative because of the changing conditions, but Albon was quickest by 0.551 seconds from Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc.
The track started very wet at the beginning of the session after heavy rain, but the rain stopped shortly after the end of the session.
The track progressively dried but the incidents at the end proved it was not quite enough for slick tyres.
While it was wet for the first practice session on Friday, rain is not forecast for qualifying on Saturday and the grand prix on Sunday
Sergio Perez's Racing Point cockpit in the pits at the Interlagos
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Brazilian GP: Sebastian Vettel top as Kubica crashes in Brazil practice
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
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Listen to qualifying on 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website from 18:15 GMT on Saturday
Sebastian Vettel led Charles Leclerc to a Ferrari one-two in an incident-packed second practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The German was 0.021 seconds ahead of Leclerc with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third, ahead of Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.
Williams driver Robert Kubica began the session with a heavy crash at Turn Three from which he emerged unscathed.
And the Honda engines in both Toro Rossos failed late in the session.
The session ran in cloudy but grey conditions after the wet weather for the morning session, but Kubica appeared to be caught out by dampness on a painted white line when he spun at the fast Turn Three on his first flying lap of the day.
The Pole, whose Williams had been used by reserve driver Nicholas Latifi in the first session, lost the rear, over-corrected and spun into the wall, badly damaging three corners of the car.
It was another blow for Williams, who have been struggling for pace all year and in recent races have been suffering from a shortage of spare parts.
At the front, the true competitive order is hard to read, as both Ferrari drivers and Hamilton had messy runs.
Vettel and Hamilton were both blocked by Bottas on their fastest laps, the world champion on the exit of Mergulho, the penultimate corner, and Vettel shortly afterwards on the exit of Juncao, just a few metres further on.
And Leclerc did not improve in the final sector of his fastest lap, which suggests he, too, had more time in him.
Verstappen impressed to be just 0.134secs off the pace as Red Bull's revival in the last few races continues, and Bottas was 0.156secs behind Vettel. The compromised Hamilton - whose time, like Vettel's, was set on his second lap on his tyres - was 0.067secs behind his team-mate.
Jack Nicholls: ‘Why Hamilton is better than Senna & Schumacher’
Ferrari may well see the results of the session as vindication after what they consider to be unfounded allegations about their engine in the wake of two rule clarifications from governing body the FIA.
Ferrari insist neither ruling - one governing the operation of the hybrid system and fuel-flow meter, and the other the addition of oil into the combustion chamber - have any effect on the running of their engine.
They said they would be back to their normal form in Brazil after a disappointing race in the US last time out, and at least on Friday they look to be favourites for pole position on Saturday.
Best of the rest was Kevin Magnussen's Haas, for once not struggling with tyre temperature in a disappointing season for the American team, followed by the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen.
The second Red Bull driver Alexander Albon, confirmed with the team for 2020 earlier this week, was struggling after a crash at the end of the first session and down in ninth place, 0.9secs off team-mate Verstappen.
At Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly's engine failed mid-way through the session forcing the Frenchman to park up at Turn Three, while Daniil Kvyat's went at Juncao, the final corner, with five minutes to go, locking his rear wheels and sending him spinning lightly into the barrier, bringing out the red flag and the session to a premature end.
Hamilton has an Ayrton Senna inspired helmet for this weekend's grand prix
Leclerc was 0.021 behind team-mate Vettel
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
- 1 hour ago
- From the section Formula 1
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Listen to qualifying on 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website from 18:15 GMT on Saturday
Sebastian Vettel led Charles Leclerc to a Ferrari one-two in an incident-packed second practice session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The German was 0.021 seconds ahead of Leclerc with Red Bull's Max Verstappen third, ahead of Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.
Williams driver Robert Kubica began the session with a heavy crash at Turn Three from which he emerged unscathed.
And the Honda engines in both Toro Rossos failed late in the session.
The session ran in cloudy but grey conditions after the wet weather for the morning session, but Kubica appeared to be caught out by dampness on a painted white line when he spun at the fast Turn Three on his first flying lap of the day.
- Brazilian Grand Prix first and second practice results
- Hamilton to negotiate new F1 contract
- Albon named Red Bull second driver for 2020
The Pole, whose Williams had been used by reserve driver Nicholas Latifi in the first session, lost the rear, over-corrected and spun into the wall, badly damaging three corners of the car.
It was another blow for Williams, who have been struggling for pace all year and in recent races have been suffering from a shortage of spare parts.
At the front, the true competitive order is hard to read, as both Ferrari drivers and Hamilton had messy runs.
Vettel and Hamilton were both blocked by Bottas on their fastest laps, the world champion on the exit of Mergulho, the penultimate corner, and Vettel shortly afterwards on the exit of Juncao, just a few metres further on.
And Leclerc did not improve in the final sector of his fastest lap, which suggests he, too, had more time in him.
Verstappen impressed to be just 0.134secs off the pace as Red Bull's revival in the last few races continues, and Bottas was 0.156secs behind Vettel. The compromised Hamilton - whose time, like Vettel's, was set on his second lap on his tyres - was 0.067secs behind his team-mate.
Jack Nicholls: ‘Why Hamilton is better than Senna & Schumacher’
Ferrari may well see the results of the session as vindication after what they consider to be unfounded allegations about their engine in the wake of two rule clarifications from governing body the FIA.
Ferrari insist neither ruling - one governing the operation of the hybrid system and fuel-flow meter, and the other the addition of oil into the combustion chamber - have any effect on the running of their engine.
They said they would be back to their normal form in Brazil after a disappointing race in the US last time out, and at least on Friday they look to be favourites for pole position on Saturday.
Best of the rest was Kevin Magnussen's Haas, for once not struggling with tyre temperature in a disappointing season for the American team, followed by the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen.
The second Red Bull driver Alexander Albon, confirmed with the team for 2020 earlier this week, was struggling after a crash at the end of the first session and down in ninth place, 0.9secs off team-mate Verstappen.
At Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly's engine failed mid-way through the session forcing the Frenchman to park up at Turn Three, while Daniil Kvyat's went at Juncao, the final corner, with five minutes to go, locking his rear wheels and sending him spinning lightly into the barrier, bringing out the red flag and the session to a premature end.
Hamilton has an Ayrton Senna inspired helmet for this weekend's grand prix
Leclerc was 0.021 behind team-mate Vettel
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Telly Talk Supreme
Brazilian GP: Max Verstappen on pole position
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/50447060
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Sunday's race is live on 5 Live and the BBC Sport website at 17:10 GMT
Red Bull's Max Verstappen beat Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
It was Verstappen's second career pole, although he qualified fastest in Mexico two races ago before being penalised for failing to slow for caution flags.
New world champion Lewis Hamilton slipped into third place right at the end of the session, demoting Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to fourth.
Leclerc has a 10-place grid penalty as a result of excessive engine usage.
Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas took fifth, ahead of the Red Bull of Alex Albon.
Report
Redemption for Verstappen
Esteban Ocon tangled with Verstappen during last year's race, which led to an angry confrontation between the pair in the driver weighing area
Verstappen was on course to win this race last year before a crash with a backmarker allowed Hamilton to slip through, but now has a powerful chance to make amends.
The Dutchman was fastest after the first laps in final qualifying, despite a big wobble on the exit of Pinheirinho, a left-hander in the middle of the lap.
He improved by more than 0.1secs on his final run to lockdown his first pole position since the Hungarian Grand Prix in August.
"The car was really good," Verstappen said. "From Q1 the car was flying and really enjoyable to drive. Really happy with this pole position."
Vettel said: "I had a bit of a wobble at the exit of the last corner on the first run, but Max improved his time so fair play.
"I am happy with the front row and now we see what we can do [in the race]."
Vettel is concerned about the fact that Ferrari lagged behind Mercedes and Red Bull for pace when doing their race-simulation runs in Friday practice, although he said another on Saturday morning had gone better and "that gives us hope".
"Both Red Bull and Mercedes look a bit stronger managing tyres," he said, "but we are there for a reason - we have the speed, we have the power. We'll see what we can do."
Jack Nicholls: ‘Why Hamilton is better than Senna & Schumacher’
Another Hamilton v Verstappen scrap?
Verstappen punches the air in Brazil. He very nearly punched Esteban Ocon last year after being punted out of the lead
Verstappen's first pole turned into a race-long battle with Hamilton in Hungary, which the Mercedes driver eventually won, and this one could well go the same way.
Hamilton was cheered by the Brazilian crowd as he held up his helmet, featuring a special design as a tribute to his childhood hero and Brazilian F1 legend Ayrton Senna.
He said: "Congrats to Max, obviously a great lap by him. We seemed quite competitive in P3 [final practice] and then we seemed to lose - or they gained - when we got into qualifying.
"But I'm really happy I was able to divide the Ferraris. I gave it everything I had. My best lap of the session was the last run, so awesome."
Leclerc, like Vettel, was left to rue a mistake on his first run, also at the final corner.
The 22-year-old had been up on team-mate Vettel until running wide at Juncao and costing himself at least 0.2secs in the final sector, which would have put him ahead of the German.
Instead, he will now start the race from 13th place and face a fight through the field.
Hamilton benefited from Verstappen's crash with Ocon to take victory at Interlagos in 2018
Gasly regains form
McLaren slipped from the position of best of the rest they had made their own recently after Carlos Sainz suffered an engine problem in first qualifying and did not set a time and Lando Norris could do no better than 11th, saying he had not maximised his lap.
The beneficiary was Pierre Gasly, outstanding in the Toro Rosso in the second half of the season since being dropped from Red Bull and replace by Albon.
He took seventh - team-mate Daniil Kvyat was only 16th - ahead of Haas' Romain Grosjean, Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen and the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
A helicopter dedicated to Ayrton Senna - nicknamed 'Sennacopter' - flies over the track at Interlagos
Lando Norris drives past the favelas that surround part of the track at Interlagos
That's Red Bull's fifth pole in Brazil. McLaren have the most with 12. Then Ferrari with 11, and Williams with six - Brazilian three-time world champion Nelson Piquet took pole for Williams in 1986
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at Interlagos
- 1 hour ago
- From the section Formula 1
- 17
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/50447060
Read more about sharing.
Sunday's race is live on 5 Live and the BBC Sport website at 17:10 GMT
Red Bull's Max Verstappen beat Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
It was Verstappen's second career pole, although he qualified fastest in Mexico two races ago before being penalised for failing to slow for caution flags.
New world champion Lewis Hamilton slipped into third place right at the end of the session, demoting Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to fourth.
Leclerc has a 10-place grid penalty as a result of excessive engine usage.
Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas took fifth, ahead of the Red Bull of Alex Albon.
Report
Redemption for Verstappen
Esteban Ocon tangled with Verstappen during last year's race, which led to an angry confrontation between the pair in the driver weighing area
Verstappen was on course to win this race last year before a crash with a backmarker allowed Hamilton to slip through, but now has a powerful chance to make amends.
The Dutchman was fastest after the first laps in final qualifying, despite a big wobble on the exit of Pinheirinho, a left-hander in the middle of the lap.
He improved by more than 0.1secs on his final run to lockdown his first pole position since the Hungarian Grand Prix in August.
"The car was really good," Verstappen said. "From Q1 the car was flying and really enjoyable to drive. Really happy with this pole position."
Vettel said: "I had a bit of a wobble at the exit of the last corner on the first run, but Max improved his time so fair play.
"I am happy with the front row and now we see what we can do [in the race]."
Vettel is concerned about the fact that Ferrari lagged behind Mercedes and Red Bull for pace when doing their race-simulation runs in Friday practice, although he said another on Saturday morning had gone better and "that gives us hope".
"Both Red Bull and Mercedes look a bit stronger managing tyres," he said, "but we are there for a reason - we have the speed, we have the power. We'll see what we can do."
Jack Nicholls: ‘Why Hamilton is better than Senna & Schumacher’
Another Hamilton v Verstappen scrap?
Verstappen punches the air in Brazil. He very nearly punched Esteban Ocon last year after being punted out of the lead
Verstappen's first pole turned into a race-long battle with Hamilton in Hungary, which the Mercedes driver eventually won, and this one could well go the same way.
Hamilton was cheered by the Brazilian crowd as he held up his helmet, featuring a special design as a tribute to his childhood hero and Brazilian F1 legend Ayrton Senna.
He said: "Congrats to Max, obviously a great lap by him. We seemed quite competitive in P3 [final practice] and then we seemed to lose - or they gained - when we got into qualifying.
"But I'm really happy I was able to divide the Ferraris. I gave it everything I had. My best lap of the session was the last run, so awesome."
Leclerc, like Vettel, was left to rue a mistake on his first run, also at the final corner.
The 22-year-old had been up on team-mate Vettel until running wide at Juncao and costing himself at least 0.2secs in the final sector, which would have put him ahead of the German.
Instead, he will now start the race from 13th place and face a fight through the field.
Hamilton benefited from Verstappen's crash with Ocon to take victory at Interlagos in 2018
Gasly regains form
McLaren slipped from the position of best of the rest they had made their own recently after Carlos Sainz suffered an engine problem in first qualifying and did not set a time and Lando Norris could do no better than 11th, saying he had not maximised his lap.
The beneficiary was Pierre Gasly, outstanding in the Toro Rosso in the second half of the season since being dropped from Red Bull and replace by Albon.
He took seventh - team-mate Daniil Kvyat was only 16th - ahead of Haas' Romain Grosjean, Alfa Romeo's Kimi Raikkonen and the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
A helicopter dedicated to Ayrton Senna - nicknamed 'Sennacopter' - flies over the track at Interlagos
Lando Norris drives past the favelas that surround part of the track at Interlagos
That's Red Bull's fifth pole in Brazil. McLaren have the most with 12. Then Ferrari with 11, and Williams with six - Brazilian three-time world champion Nelson Piquet took pole for Williams in 1986
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Brazilian GP: Max Verstappen wins thriller as Ferrari's Vettel and Leclerc collide
Red Bull's Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes twice to take a brilliant victory in a gripping Brazilian Grand Prix.
Behind him, the race developed into a dramatic finale as the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc collided while disputing fourth place.
Then, Hamilton collided with Red Bull's Alexander Albon, and Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly held off the Mercedes for second place on the line.
It was a remarkable end to one of the most incident-packed races in recent memory. "What a race!" Verstappen said, summing it up perfectly. "Loved it."
Hamilton took the blame for his crash with Albon and was penalised after the race by five seconds, demoting him to seventh - promoting Carlos Sainz to third for McLaren.
Verstappen was a deserved winner in a race that he controlled from the start, but Gasly was a star, Hamilton and Mercedes had an unusually difficult race, and yet again there will be a sharp focus on Vettel's driving and character, as the four-time champion continued his battle for supremacy at Ferrari with his young team-mate.
After a rant over team radio, Vettel replays the collision in his head...
...kicks a stone...
...and the moment of realisation...
How a classic unfolded
Verstappen led away from the start, tracked by Hamilton, and Mercedes threw the first strategy dice with an early stop on lap 20, attempting to use the fresh pace of new tyres to pass the Red Bull.
It looked like it had worked when Verstappen, already touch and go as to whether he would keep the lead when he made his stop on the next lap, was held up by Robert Kubica's Williams on his way out of the pits, for which Williams were penalised.
That gifted Hamilton the lead, but Verstappen was determined to win it straight back.
Hamilton caught Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on his first lap after his stop and passed him into the final corner, but now Verstappen was right on his tail and, with his battery depleted after his fast lap, Hamilton was defenceless as the Dutchman swept around the outside into Turn One.
Verstappen and Hamilton gave the passionate Brazilian crowd a race to remember
That looked to be it, until Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas retired with an engine problem on lap 53, bringing out the safety car.
Hamilton was told do the opposite to Verstappen as they approached the pit entry and when the Red Bull pitted, Hamilton stayed out.
But he immediately doubted the decision, worrying that his used medium tyres would be no match for the virtually new softs on Verstappen's car.
And when the race restarted on lap 60, with 11 to go, Hamilton was proved right and Verstappen swept past him into the lead - again around the outside of Turn One - despite Hamilton's best efforts to trick him at the re-start.
That was the battle for the lead done, but it was just the start of a frenetic final 10 laps...
Oh no, what do Ferrari do now?
Hamilton was now struggling at the head of a train of four cars, comprising Albon, who had brilliantly passed Vettel at the re-start, Vettel and Leclerc, all on fresher soft tyres. (it did say "past")
The tension built, as Vettel first tried and failed to re-pass Albon, and then Leclerc, on the freshest tyres of all, pressured his team-mate.
With five laps to go, Leclerc pulled a stunning move on Vettel into Turn One to take fourth place. But Vettel refused to back off and came back at his team-mate.
Leclerc moved left on the back straight on the run to Turn Four, leaving Vettel just enough room on the outside.
Report
But in scenes reminiscent of his collision with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber back in Turkey in 2010, Vettel edged across and the cars collided.
The impact immediately broke Leclerc's front suspension and gave Vettel a rear puncture, and both were forced out of the race.
"What was he doing," Vettel said over team radio, before perhaps accepting his error and saying: "Sorry."
"What the hell?" Leclerc screamed.
The incident will surely have repercussions at Ferrari, where team boss Mattia Binotto has struggled to contain his warring drivers all season as Leclerc has threatened Vettel's seniority in the team.
What was Hamilton doing?
The collision brought out the safety car again and Mercedes decided to pit Hamilton for a fresh set of tyres so he could attack in the closing laps.
The race re-started with only two laps to go, with Hamilton running fourth behind Albon, and Red Bull on for a one-two, and Gasly.
He was straight past Gasly at Turn One but made a too-ambitious move on Albon at Bico De Pato and the two collided, sending Albon into a spin and damaging Hamilton's front wing.
Hamilton said of the incident with Albon: "The gap was there but it was completely my fault"
"The gap was kind of there but it closed right at the end, clearly my fault," Hamilton said, as officials announced the incident would be investigated after the race.
Gasly passed both in the incident and Hamilton set off after the Toro Rosso again as they entered the final lap. The Mercedes was right with Gasly into the final corner and pulled alongside on the exit, but Gasly was able to edge ahead as they approached the line to take the best result of his career and a deserving reward for superlative performances since being dropped from Red Bull to Toro Rosso in favour of Albon in the summer.
Behind Sainz were the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, ahead of Renault's Daniel Ricciardo.
Driver of the day
This has to go to Verstappen after a dominant performance and as big a statement as he could have made against Hamilton in the developing rivalry. But Gasly deserves an honourable mention for a brilliant performance of his own, completely out-classing team-mate Daniil Kvyat, as he has since rejoining Toro Rosso
What happens next?
The final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. For all the glamour and the lights, it's an antiseptic track that seems unlikely to offer the riches of Brazil. But there have been so many great races this season, despite Hamilton's dominant title win, who would dare say there won't be another?
What they said
Max Verstappen: "Lewis was very quick so I had to keep pushing and all the time. He pitted early so we had to be on top of our pit stops we had a good move on him. I could control the race with the tyres I had it was unbelievable it was a lot of fun out there and great to win the race."
Pierre Gasly: "This is my first podium in F1 and for sure I will never forget it, it's such a special moment - so emotional. Toro Rosso have given me such a fantastic car since I've come back. It's an amazing day."
Lewis Hamilton: "Max did a great job - he was very fair the way he positioned the car. Massive apologies to Albon. The gap was there but it was completely my fault. They did a fantastic job, they outperformed us on the straights - he raced my heart out and took a lot of risks today, as you could see."
Swami
Red Bull's Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes twice to take a brilliant victory in a gripping Brazilian Grand Prix.
Behind him, the race developed into a dramatic finale as the Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc collided while disputing fourth place.
Then, Hamilton collided with Red Bull's Alexander Albon, and Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly held off the Mercedes for second place on the line.
It was a remarkable end to one of the most incident-packed races in recent memory. "What a race!" Verstappen said, summing it up perfectly. "Loved it."
Hamilton took the blame for his crash with Albon and was penalised after the race by five seconds, demoting him to seventh - promoting Carlos Sainz to third for McLaren.
Verstappen was a deserved winner in a race that he controlled from the start, but Gasly was a star, Hamilton and Mercedes had an unusually difficult race, and yet again there will be a sharp focus on Vettel's driving and character, as the four-time champion continued his battle for supremacy at Ferrari with his young team-mate.
After a rant over team radio, Vettel replays the collision in his head...
...kicks a stone...
...and the moment of realisation...
How a classic unfolded
Verstappen led away from the start, tracked by Hamilton, and Mercedes threw the first strategy dice with an early stop on lap 20, attempting to use the fresh pace of new tyres to pass the Red Bull.
It looked like it had worked when Verstappen, already touch and go as to whether he would keep the lead when he made his stop on the next lap, was held up by Robert Kubica's Williams on his way out of the pits, for which Williams were penalised.
That gifted Hamilton the lead, but Verstappen was determined to win it straight back.
Hamilton caught Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on his first lap after his stop and passed him into the final corner, but now Verstappen was right on his tail and, with his battery depleted after his fast lap, Hamilton was defenceless as the Dutchman swept around the outside into Turn One.
Verstappen and Hamilton gave the passionate Brazilian crowd a race to remember
That looked to be it, until Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas retired with an engine problem on lap 53, bringing out the safety car.
Hamilton was told do the opposite to Verstappen as they approached the pit entry and when the Red Bull pitted, Hamilton stayed out.
But he immediately doubted the decision, worrying that his used medium tyres would be no match for the virtually new softs on Verstappen's car.
And when the race restarted on lap 60, with 11 to go, Hamilton was proved right and Verstappen swept past him into the lead - again around the outside of Turn One - despite Hamilton's best efforts to trick him at the re-start.
That was the battle for the lead done, but it was just the start of a frenetic final 10 laps...
Oh no, what do Ferrari do now?
Hamilton was now struggling at the head of a train of four cars, comprising Albon, who had brilliantly passed Vettel at the re-start, Vettel and Leclerc, all on fresher soft tyres. (it did say "past")
The tension built, as Vettel first tried and failed to re-pass Albon, and then Leclerc, on the freshest tyres of all, pressured his team-mate.
With five laps to go, Leclerc pulled a stunning move on Vettel into Turn One to take fourth place. But Vettel refused to back off and came back at his team-mate.
Leclerc moved left on the back straight on the run to Turn Four, leaving Vettel just enough room on the outside.
Report
But in scenes reminiscent of his collision with Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber back in Turkey in 2010, Vettel edged across and the cars collided.
The impact immediately broke Leclerc's front suspension and gave Vettel a rear puncture, and both were forced out of the race.
"What was he doing," Vettel said over team radio, before perhaps accepting his error and saying: "Sorry."
"What the hell?" Leclerc screamed.
The incident will surely have repercussions at Ferrari, where team boss Mattia Binotto has struggled to contain his warring drivers all season as Leclerc has threatened Vettel's seniority in the team.
What was Hamilton doing?
The collision brought out the safety car again and Mercedes decided to pit Hamilton for a fresh set of tyres so he could attack in the closing laps.
The race re-started with only two laps to go, with Hamilton running fourth behind Albon, and Red Bull on for a one-two, and Gasly.
He was straight past Gasly at Turn One but made a too-ambitious move on Albon at Bico De Pato and the two collided, sending Albon into a spin and damaging Hamilton's front wing.
Hamilton said of the incident with Albon: "The gap was there but it was completely my fault"
"The gap was kind of there but it closed right at the end, clearly my fault," Hamilton said, as officials announced the incident would be investigated after the race.
Gasly passed both in the incident and Hamilton set off after the Toro Rosso again as they entered the final lap. The Mercedes was right with Gasly into the final corner and pulled alongside on the exit, but Gasly was able to edge ahead as they approached the line to take the best result of his career and a deserving reward for superlative performances since being dropped from Red Bull to Toro Rosso in favour of Albon in the summer.
Behind Sainz were the Alfa Romeos of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, ahead of Renault's Daniel Ricciardo.
Driver of the day
This has to go to Verstappen after a dominant performance and as big a statement as he could have made against Hamilton in the developing rivalry. But Gasly deserves an honourable mention for a brilliant performance of his own, completely out-classing team-mate Daniil Kvyat, as he has since rejoining Toro Rosso
What happens next?
The final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. For all the glamour and the lights, it's an antiseptic track that seems unlikely to offer the riches of Brazil. But there have been so many great races this season, despite Hamilton's dominant title win, who would dare say there won't be another?
What they said
Max Verstappen: "Lewis was very quick so I had to keep pushing and all the time. He pitted early so we had to be on top of our pit stops we had a good move on him. I could control the race with the tyres I had it was unbelievable it was a lot of fun out there and great to win the race."
Pierre Gasly: "This is my first podium in F1 and for sure I will never forget it, it's such a special moment - so emotional. Toro Rosso have given me such a fantastic car since I've come back. It's an amazing day."
Lewis Hamilton: "Max did a great job - he was very fair the way he positioned the car. Massive apologies to Albon. The gap was there but it was completely my fault. They did a fantastic job, they outperformed us on the straights - he raced my heart out and took a lot of risks today, as you could see."
Swami