Max Verstappen leapt ahead of Lando Norris at the start and remained there to win the Interlagos sprint race with Sergio Perez finishing third.
Norris kept in touch with Verstappen early in the race before slipping back to finish almost five seconds of the winner, with Perez a further nine seconds back in third.Before the start of the sprint race, there had been plenty of speculation over what tyres teams would choose for the 24-lap race. As the tyre blankets were removed from the cars before the formation lap, they revealed that only the two Haas drivers of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg and last-starting Logan Sargeant would race on medium tyres, with all other drivers starting on softs.
When the lights went out, pole sitter Norris was muscled out on the run to turn one by Max Verstappen who moved into the lead. Norris lost a second place to George Russell who dived up the inside into Bico de Pato to demote the McLaren driver into third.
Verstappen led from Russell, Norris and Lewis Hamilton in fourth who was immediately under pressure from Sergio Perez behind. Perez used DRS to take fourth from Hamilton along the pit straight into turn one, before Norris reclaimed second place back from Russell in similar fashion a lap later.
Verstappen’s lead sat around one-and-a-half seconds from Norris with Russell in third coming under attack from Perez behind. Eventually Perez would claim third back from the Mercedes and begin to pull away.
Norris kept the gap to the leader under two seconds with an advantage through the fast uphill Ferradura and Laranjinha corners. In the final third of the race, Verstappen managed to grow his advantage beyond two seconds, but Norris fought back to keep it within three.
With less than five laps remaining, fifth-placed Hamilton began to complain about his rear tyres. He faded away from team mate Russell ahead and was caught and passed both by Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda, falling to seventh.
Out front, Verstappen was now three seconds clear of the McLaren behind. He closed out the remaining laps to cross the line and win his fourth sprint race of his world championship-winning season. Norris finished four seconds back in second place, with Perez claiming third a further nine seconds behind.
Russell was 12 seconds adrift of Perez in fourth with Leclerc finishing fifth for Ferrari. Tsunoda claimed three points for AlphaTauri in sixth ahead of Hamilton in seventh and Carlos Sainz Jnr claiming the final point in eighth. Daniel Ricciardo was less than two tenths of a second away from a point in ninth, with Oscar Piastri completing the top ten ahead of the two Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
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2023 Brazilian Grand Prix
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- McLaren surprised by margin over rivals at track Norris thought would be “tough”
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- Mercedes’ Brazilian GP set-up was “conservative” after US GP disqualification
Jere (@jerejj)
4th November 2023, 19:12
A decent sprint with quite a few good battles further down the field.
Another surprisingly competitive outing for AT.
I didn’t quite expect Max to take the lead into T1 already, though.
Nick T.
4th November 2023, 23:38
I don’t love the sprint, but people need to be able to admit when a Sprint has more action that two GPs on average combined. I think we should have less sprints (make it 3 per season) and allow them to change the setup between the sprint and the race for FFS. Otherwise, we all know what’s going to happen more or less in the race.
Alex
5th November 2023, 8:56
I enjoy the sprints – we’ve had a few like this with all the action in half the time – but I still agree with you that it should be possible to change setup afterwards.
Bring back the intrigue for the race! Plus, prepare for potentially different conditions
PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
5th November 2023, 6:26
I love the Sprint format, especially in tracks that allow for good racing, like Interlagos. One adjustment I think it could be made next year is to scrap the Sprint shootout and instead run the Sprint race in reverse grid order of the main race qualifying session. The weekend could run with 1 practice session and quali for main race on Friday, Sprint race on Saturday in reverse grid order, and main race on Sunday.
Alex
5th November 2023, 8:58
I agree that *if* we were to experiment with a reverse grid, it should be the reverse of something that matters.
Reverse of full race grid is a good shout. Reverse of current season standings could work too.
That way, you reduce the incentive to play the system.
Nathan Patel
4th November 2023, 19:13
A sprint race where everyone manages used, soft tyres. Bravo, F1, bravo.
GmP (@gmp)
4th November 2023, 23:47
And? Made that the race less enjoyable? I liked the several passes, repossess, all happening, and then closer to the end see who,had life left and who not.
Nor sure what your comment is supposed to mean.
Nathan Patel
5th November 2023, 11:37
For me, it absolutely did. What transpired was not a “sprint” at all, rather an exercise in making sure the tyres didn’t die. Not to mention all of the previous sessions have also been compromised by lack of tyres and teams not wanting to ruin their grand prix.
Call me traditionalist, but motorway passes because drivers didn’t have tyres left is not my idea of entertainment
S
6th November 2023, 5:00
Perhaps the teams should have chosen to use the harder tyres available to them then.
Nah, it’s easier to just blame the format because you don’t like it, isn’t it.
S
5th November 2023, 5:31
Yep. Was unusually good by F1 standards, wasn’t it…
There’s plenty of good information in that for the future ;)
Melbourne '96 (@melbourne-96)
4th November 2023, 19:24
Well, there was some nice racing going on but I am really disappointed by the lack of balls Lando showed at the start. He could have easily shut the door immediately and make Max go around the outside imho. 😞
Mark (@mrcento)
4th November 2023, 22:52
I sort of disagree, hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but he got off the line quite well and had started to squeeze over, but the second phase of the start let Max in, no idea if it just bogged, he shifted up too early or got some wheelspin, but by the time he’d got to that starting to happen, Max was already part way alongside and not much Lando could do to block. He was never really in a position where he could get over. Even if he somehow started to move over the second the lights went out and immediately tried to sweep in front aggressively, that 2nd phase of the start was always going to let Max squeeze through.
GmP (@gmp)
5th November 2023, 0:00
Correct. Max was too quickly already besides Lando for Lando to agreesively move over. And yes, he wants to win, but he also wants to finish as high as possible.
I appreciate Lando cautious approach over Checo last week do-or-die.
Nick T.
5th November 2023, 0:45
I’m not a Norris fan, but this had nothing to do with balls. You’re not allowed to angle your car in the grid box anymore, which makes a big difference because in the opening phases of acceleration any steering input can seriously hurt you, and Max was by him before he could even attempt to block him.
Melbourne '96 (@melbourne-96)
5th November 2023, 8:33
After reading your replies above… ok, probably my opinion was to harsh, guess I just really want to see someone making it difficult for Max and was disappointed it didn’t happen…
Nick T.
5th November 2023, 9:07
We’ve all made the same type of off the cuff comment many times.
Mark Zastrow (@markzastrow)
4th November 2023, 19:37
Tuned in today and was amused to see that at Turn 4, an entirely new white line has been painted outside the kerb, in addition to the conventional white line inside the kerb. It seems to be the only kerb on the track with an outer white line, and of course it’s the turn with the most track limits issues. I didn’t see this mentioned in the race director notes — has there been any confirmation as to whether that is now deemed to be the track limit?
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th November 2023, 20:23
I don’t know why exactly it’s there but it was there yesterday.
Mark Zastrow (@markzastrow)
4th November 2023, 21:15
Yes, you’re right — by new, I meant that it wasn’t there last year.
MichaelN
4th November 2023, 20:06
Liked the moves made by Alonso, Piastri and Russell. Some clever positioning and opportunistic moves! Big contrast to the boring DRS-based back and forths.
I understood Norris not attacking Sainz all that much in Singapore, but his lackadaisical approach here in an essentially meaningless race was quite confusing. Just go for it!
GmP (@gmp)
4th November 2023, 23:51
Why is the race meaning less? The winner gets 8 points and 8th place still 1. Ask AT how meaningless those points are.
Lando is smart, he knows what battles to fight, and which ones he will not risk it.
Edvaldo
5th November 2023, 2:04
And that’s why he’s Lando Nowins.
GmP (@gmp)
5th November 2023, 4:39
How so? Which driver has won a race the last ten years because of a balsy move on lap one?
Drivers have won races because of superior equipment, because of strategies (including some risky strategies), or just plain luck: being at the right place, at the right time. But doing a Perez like move in lap one to then go on and win the race? I don’t recall any.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
5th November 2023, 7:50
Verstappen Mexico 2021?
MichaelN
5th November 2023, 9:57
It is all but impossible for Mclaren to catch Ferrari in the standings, and Aston Martin coming back to overhaul them seems equally unlikely. They’re not really in a tight battle with anyone, so the points aren’t that important.
Nick T.
5th November 2023, 0:47
Ocon was the DOTD for me. Guy is the complete package.
RR
4th November 2023, 21:58
No one has re-discovered that bizarre remote service road that Kimi drove up in the 2012 race.
It was meant to be a short cut to the pits but Kimi found the gate at the end of it locked. He turned round and sped past some farm buildings and out houses and crossed a field to rejoin the race. He still finished in the points.
Nick T.
5th November 2023, 0:48
Today, he’d be given a 50-place penalty for endangering the grass or something absurd.
Josh (@canadianjosh)
4th November 2023, 23:17
Well now that we know who has pace tomorrow should be a thriller……. Sprint races are the exact same thing as having a snack before dinner….your not as hungry and the meal doesn’t taste as good.
GmP (@gmp)
4th November 2023, 23:56
Great for you, saves you a lot of time to watch something you now know you will not like.
For me I still want to see the Mercs vs McL and how Ferrari will mix in.
And if AT is raelly getting faster to play in the mid pack.
How many laps before the AM duo will be out of the top ten?
Slightly different weather seems to have big impact on the different teams, maybe except RB, but those are just two of the 20 cars.
Please predict the top ten, and after the race we can tell you if you missed anything.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
5th November 2023, 0:02
“Holds off Norris”: the world’s faintest praise.
DaveW (@dmw)
5th November 2023, 0:52
Did I see that Veratappen had a .15s reaction? I recall Bottas got a false start for a sub .2s reaction because the rules deem that physiologically impossible and thus just anticipating the lights which is disfavored. Or it has to do with a tolerance issue between the ground sensor and timing loop or some technical issue. Just wondering if there is an actual rule limiting reaction because .15s is probably at or below below a plausible human reaction time. Unless you got bit by a radioactive spider or your are half fly half human. Even if you maxed out the biological limit the mechanical systems of the car and inertia still have to allow the car to move forward. It could be that these AWS data are there for show too and are not based on the timing systems used by the FIA.
Kai (@kai0143)
5th November 2023, 1:27
If you mean Austria 2017, Bottas did a 0.201″ reaction time to the lights out. It wasn’t deemed ilegal and got not penalty. It seems that they are allowed to “gamble” as long as they don’t jump the start. It’s widely considered that below 0.200″ you are basically gambling.
Btw, there is a certain “movement of the car” allowed prior to the start, due to the clutch changes drivers might do in the grid.
As for the race, impressed by the AT performance. I do believe they’ll catch on Williams!
Nick T.
5th November 2023, 9:09
Yes, F1 used to (and I thought still did) automatically penalize any start that was within .2 seconds.
@Kai: you’re not allowed to gamble. The rule specifically outlawed launches that “anticipated” the light, unless they’ve changed the rules.
Alex
5th November 2023, 9:11
I’ve not seen the stat for Verstappen, and I obviously don’t know where he anticipated. But 150ms is “at” the limit for humans rather than “below”. Top eSports players do react to changing colours at that kind of speed. Even for an eSports player you arguably need to be 1-2 standard deviations above the mean, but that’s true for 5-32% of eSports players.
And if course, Max *is* a top eSports player.
Alex
5th November 2023, 9:12
Correction: I don’t know *whether* he anticipated. Thanks, autocorrect!
f1statsfan (@)
5th November 2023, 9:11
Max is again being consistent with consisting scoring and dominating a championship.
If you create a separate championship of 2023 F1 sprint3 Max would have scored 93.75% of maximum points (45 of 48) nearly as much as he scored on Sunday (excl FLAP) as there he scored 93.89% of maximum points (446 of 475).
Only in the FLAP department is Max less consistent having just scored 8 of available 19 FLAP points, but that is more down to the mechanism of FLAP than anything else. Best demonstrated by the fact that there have been 19 races but all drivers together only scored 17 FLAP points – 2 were never awarded as FLAP was set by a driver outside the top 10.
Despite Max really disliking sprint races/weekends he is doing exceptionally well in them – he is the only driver to have scored points in all of the 12 sprint races, winning 8x, on podium 11x and lowest finish 4th – scoring 73 of maximum 81 points.
In contrary Lewis is much nicer towards Sprint races but Sprint races have not really be nice to Lewis.
Lewis is yet to win a sprint race and has only scored 26 points (2021 2 of 9, 2022 7 of 24 and 2023 17 of 48).
In the 2023 Sprint championship standings Lewis is 7th behind Max (1st 45 points), Perez (2nd 25 points), Sainz (3rd 22 points), Lando (4th 21 points), Leclerc (5th 21 points), Russell (6th 18 points).