Headache for Mercedes after Hamilton drops back in sprint, Verstappen wins

Max Verstappen has won the sprint race in Brazil, with the event ringing alarm bells for Mercedes. Their race pace for Sunday's Grand Prix doesn't look promising as the British drivers started well on the soft tyres, but Sergio Perez and Lando Norris came back on them. Hamilton finished more than 20 seconds behind the race winner.

Only a handful of points are handed out for sprint races in comparison to full Grands Prix, but given the stage of the season, they will come as important points for the Mexican. After failing to score in Mexico, even the smallest of gains on Hamilton in their battle for P2 could prove crucial.

The event in Brazil formed the sixth and final sprint race of the 2023 Formula 1 season. The sprint race is set to continue in the 2024 Formula 1 season, but the exact weekend format and the effect it will have on the World Championship is so far undecided. The venues are also undecided, but Interlagos is a popular choice, so it's unlikely to be the last in Brazil.

As we've come to expect, it featured plenty of action with overtakes up and down the field. The Dutchman did have to keep an eye on Norris in P2, but it was relatively comfortable in the end once he was told to push. It's Verstappen's fourth sprint victory of the season. Norris and Perez completed the podium.

Lando Norris started the sprint from pole position alongside Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez started from 3rd, with George Russell getting the better of the Mercedes drivers to complete the second row. All of the front-runners started on used soft tyres.

Norris lost the lead to Verstappen at the first corner and lost P2 later in the lap to Russell. But the outcome for Sergio Perez would've been more painful as he dropped to P5 and behind Lewis Hamilton. Perez managed to get Hamilton back at the start of lap four. Norris also returned the favour on Russell, who was then overtaken by Perez. The day got worse for Hamilton as he dropped behind Charles Leclerc. The fresher tyres helped Yuki Tsunoda blast past in the final stages.