Verstappen “eating tyres alive” during Brazil F1 sprint race

Starting on the medium tyres, Verstappen soon passed shock polesitter Kevin Magnussen, as did the other frontrunners.

But as Saturday’s 24-lap sprint race unfolded Verstappen started struggling with tyre wear and saw Russell soon close the gap.

By virtue of Red Bull’s superior top speed, the two-time world champion managed to hang on until the halfway point, but on lap 15 Russell finally completed the pass for the lead into Turn 4.

As Sainz soon followed Russell…