RACE REPORT | F1 Brazil 2023

Max Verstappen continued his dominance and secured Red Bull's impressive 19th win of the season in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. This remarkable achievement equalled the record and underlined Verstappen's exceptional talent at Red Bull. In Brazil, the Dutchman once again demonstrated his unrivalled mastery of the Formula One circuit.

Verstappen's performance in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix was nothing short of sovereign, marking his 19th win of the season for Red Bull. The race was full of drama, which started with a red flag on the opening lap due to a collision between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen. When the race resumed, Verstappen maintained his lead from pole position and gradually pulled away from the competition.

The race began with an unusual incident when the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc suffered a hydraulic failure during the lead-in lap, resulting in him crashing into the barrier. After the Ferrari was safely positioned, the race officially began, but was soon red-flagged again. The collision between the Albon and the two Haas-Ferrari cars resulted in a spectacular crash, with debris flying around the first corner and destroying the tire barriers.

Verstappen held the lead after the restart and returned to the front of the field for a standing start. Lando Norris impressively moved from seventh to the front row alongside Verstappen, while Lewis Hamilton improved his starting position to third. Verstappen successfully defended his lead on the restart, fending off Norris' attempts to overtake. While Norris secured a solitary second place and the fastest lap, the battle for third was a thrilling one. Fernando Alonso held third place for most of the race, while Sergio Perez made a comeback through the field.

Perez's attempts to challenge Alonso were thwarted as the Spaniard deftly controlled his pace. Alonso's defensive driving kept Perez at bay as the gap between them widened. The thrilling battle continued in the closing laps, with Perez managing to overtake Alonso on the penultimate lap, only for Alonso to attack on the final lap to regain the position. Perez persevered and made one last attempt on the home straight, but fell short by less than half a tenth of a second.

The finish was thrilling and Alonso held on by the skin of his teeth. Perez settled for fourth place, while Lance Stroll secured fifth place, adding to the Aston Martin team's strong performance. Carlos Sainz, racing alongside Stroll, finished sixth and Pierre Gasly seventh. Mercedes had a difficult day, with George Russell retiring due to overheating problems and Lewis Hamilton finishing eighth.