Max Verstappen achieved a commanding victory in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, securing his 17th win of the 2023 Formula 1 season, setting a new record. However, the race was not without its share of drama.
Before the race officially began, Charles Leclerc encountered issues, losing hydraulics on the formation lap and leading to his retirement, as reported by F1.
Once the race commenced, Verstappen made a clean start and took the lead. However, a significant collision between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen forced the race to be halted due to the deployment of red flags.
At the restart, Verstappen demonstrated his prowess once again, successfully fending off a challenge from Lando Norris to retain the lead. He went on to secure his second victory of the weekend, having previously won Saturday's Sprint race.
"The starts were very important today; both of them were very good. Then after that the whole race was about the management of the tyres. We were good on any tyre, but I think especially that middle stint, we could create a bit of a gap, so I thought that was very strong there.
"It all looked quite good but with the high [degradation] around here, you were constantly correcting the car, so your focus always needed to be there, but luckily it worked out great today," said Verstappen.
Lando Norris secured a commendable second place in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with Fernando Alonso rounding out the podium after a thrilling battle against Sergio Perez for the final podium position.
Lance Stroll contributed to Aston Martin's performance by finishing in fifth place, while Carlos Sainz was the highest-placed Ferrari driver in sixth. Pierre Gasly led the Alpine team in seventh, and Lewis Hamilton had a challenging day for Mercedes, finishing in eighth. Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon completed the top 10.
With just two races left on the 2023 F1 calendar, the next event is the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix scheduled to take place from November 17 to 19.
(With Agency Inputs)
ALSO READ | Formula 1: Max Verstappen wins sprint race at United States Grand Prix
ALSO READ | Farewell to Chief Technical Officer Mike Elliot at 'Mercedes' in Formula 1
