Mercedes' woes continue as Verstappen wins 17th race of the season
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Max Verstappen has won his 17th race of the season at Interlagos without any trouble at all. Lando Norris finished a lonely race in second place behind the Dutchman, while after a great battle, Fernando Alonso completed the podium at the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen once again comfortably won a race in 2023 and now has 17 race wins this season. Verstappen was put under pressure for a single lap on Lap 8, when Lando Norris tried to overtake the Dutchman into Turn 4, but once Verstappen was able to hold onto his lead, he quickly bolted off into the distance.
Lando Norris finished in P2 and earned an additional point for the fastest lap of the race. Fernando Alonso could step on the podium by finishing 0.053 seconds ahead of Sergio Perez. Perez overtook the Spaniard on Lap 70, but it was a lap too early, and the two-time world champion fought back on the final lap. Alonso's teammate, Lance Stroll finished in P5.
Carlos Sainz finished ahead of Pierre Gasly and Lewis Hamilton in sixth place to earn four points more than Mercedes did today in the Constructors' standings. Mercedes had a terrible day at Interlagos after winning the race at this circuit last season, as their cars struggled with the tyres and mechanical issues.
Yuki Tsunoda once again earned points for AlphaTauri, and finished ninth in Brazil. It would have been a perfect race for the Japanese driver, but he made a mistake on his first stint going off to the grass in Sector 2. Esteban Ocon was the last driver to finish in a points-paying position today. There were also six retirements this afternoon in Sao Paulo, including George Russell, the two Alfa Romeos, Kevin Magnussen, Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc.
The Start
The race did not even begin, on the formation lap, Charles Leclerc lost the hydraulics of his car, and out of nothing, he spun in Turn 6, ended up in the wall, and had to retire the car.
Verstappen got off the line without any trouble, but behind him, both Aston Martins had a terrible start, and they were quickly overtaken by Norris and Hamilton. At the back of the grid, Alexander Albon first made contact with Nico Hulkenberg, and as a result, the Williams crashed into Kevin Magnussen and both drivers ended the race in the wall. First, the Safety Car was called out, then the red flag was waved.
Inside the pit lane, both Australians, Piastri and Ricciardo, parked their car in the garage so their team could work on them. Piastri’s rear end was caught by Magnussen’s car, while the canvas of a tyre falling off of the Dane’s car hit the AlphaTauri’s rear wing during the accident on Lap 1. The two drivers were able to continue.
The Second Start
The second start went down without any incident. Hamilton got off the line quicker than Norris, but the McLaren driver left the other Briton no room. Hamilton locked up into Turn 1, had a poor exit off Turn 3, and got overtaken by Alonso in Turn 4.
On Lap 8, Lando Norris decided to launch an attack on Verstappen, and he came close to pulling off a move in Turn 4, but the world champion defended well. By the end of the lap, the Dutchman was able to pull away from the McLaren afterward.
By Lap 18, Perez was able to overtake the two Mercedes on the main straight and was up to P4.
The Pit Stops
The two Mercedes were the first one to come into the pit lane, as they were struggling on the softs, Hamilton pitted on Lap 19, Russell on Lap 20. Red Bull decided to react with Sergio Perez, who pitted on Lap 21, but the Mexican returned to the track behind Hamilton. As a result, on Lap 23, Perez had to overtake Hamilton for the second time today.
Alonso switched to a set of mediums on Lap 26 and comfortably returned to a provisional P3, while at the front, Verstappen and Norris pitted together on Lap 28. At the same time, Mercedes continued to struggle on the mediums, just like they did earlier on a set of softs. By Lap 37, both Hamilton and Russell were overtaken by Perez, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz, and a couple of laps later, Pierre Gasly also flew past Russell on the main straight.
Russell made his second stop on Lap 46, and Hamilton did the same on Lap 47. Fighting for P3, on Lap 47, Perez also decided to undercut Alonso, but the Spaniard was able to react and returned to the track ahead of his rival. After this set of stops, Gasly also overtook Hamilton. Moreover, Russell eventually retired his car on Lap 59.
On Lap 57, Verstappen did his final stop of the day, and fitted a new set of softs, while Norris stayed out until Lap 60 hoping for a miracle, having a comfortable gap to the duo of Alonso and Perez.