Sao Paulo, Brazil – The Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos provided Formula 1 fans with a spectacular race, as Max Verstappen clinched victory for Red Bull, extending his season record. In a race that saw three different teams on the podium, there were remarkable milestones and achievements. Here’s a summary of the key highlights:
- Max Verstappen’s victory in Sao Paulo allowed Red Bull to tie Mercedes’ 2016 record of 19 wins in a single season, achieved in one less race.
- Red Bull also broke Mercedes’ 2016 record for the most laps led in a season, amassing an impressive 1,055 laps.
- Verstappen’s lead in the driver standings over the second-placed driver now surpasses Sebastian Vettel’s entire points total when he secured Red Bull’s first World Championship in 2010, with 256 points.
- The race marked Verstappen’s 52nd career win, moving him into fourth place on the all-time list, overtaking Alain Prost.
- Verstappen extended his own season record with his 17th win of 2023.
- Verstappen has been defeated only once in the last 16 Grands Prix, with the sole loss coming in Singapore.
- Lando Norris secured a P2 finish for McLaren, marking his 13th career podium finish and tying with Nick Heidfeld for the most podiums without winning a race.
- It was Norris’s seventh podium finish of the season.
- Fernando Alonso clinched P3 for Aston Martin, narrowly beating Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by 0.053 seconds.
- Alonso’s podium finish tied him with Alain Prost’s 106 career podium finishes, placing him fourth on the all-time list.
- It was only Alonso’s second podium finish in the last 12 Grands Prix, following six podium finishes in the first eight races of the year.
- Alonso now holds the record for the most podium finishes at Interlagos without ever winning here, with nine.
- The result propelled Alonso back to fourth place in the drivers’ championship, leading Norris by three points and Carlos Sainz by six.
- Lewis Hamilton’s P8 finish for Mercedes marked his worst Interlagos finish in the hybrid era.
- Yuki Tsunoda secured P9 for AlphaTauri, achieving his first-ever points finish in a Grand Prix at Interlagos.
- Tsunoda has now scored 10 points in the last three race weekends, a stark contrast to the three points earned in the first 17 races of the season.
- Esteban Ocon finished 10th for Alpine for the second Grand Prix in a row.
- Charles Leclerc’s DNS (Did Not Start) marked the second time in the last four Grands Prix that Ferrari lost a car before the race’s beginning.
- Lance Stroll’s P5 finish for Aston Martin was his second top-five finish of the 2023 season and his first since Australia.
- Stroll’s previous best Interlagos finish was 10th in 2022.
- After finishing P6 for Ferrari, Carlos Sainz dropped behind Alonso and Norris in the drivers’ championship.
- Pierre Gasly’s P7 finish for Alpine was his fourth top-seven finish in the last eight Grands Prix.
The Sao Paulo Grand Prix delivered a thrilling spectacle, with Verstappen’s dominance and numerous milestones setting the stage for an unforgettable race.
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