Mercedes in winning mood: 'That's why we must never give up'

Mercedes looked set for a difficult weekend after Lewis Hamilton's disqualification from qualification, but the German team are still in great form. While Valtteri Bottas finished in front during the sprint race, Hamilton managed to drive to fifth place. Andrew Shovlin is therefore quite satisfied.

For Mercedes there is a lot at stake during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Not only would a victory for Verstappen widen the gap in the world championship, it would also mean that Red Bull Racing would overtake Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship. The Germans therefore did everything in their power in the sprint race to prevent that from happening.

It wasn't easy for the team though. Hamilton was suspended for his DRS infringement on Saturday afternoon. Bottas then looked set for an almost impossible task by starting behind Verstappen, but thanks to a good tyre strategy he managed to beat Hamilton's rival after all.

"It's been long, busy and difficult day but we finished on a high," assessed Shovlin at Sky Sports. "Winning these championships will be one of the toughest challenges we have ever faced but today reminds us why we must never give up."