Autódromo José Carlos Pace, Brazil: The race got off to a rocky start as Charles Leclerc, who had secured a front-row start, was forced to exit the race due to a hydraulics issue. Leclerc’s Ferrari slid off track and into the barriers at Turn 7 during the formation lap.
Fortunately, Leclerc managed to pull into an escape road, allowing the remaining cars to form up on the grid. Max Verstappen, starting from pole position, got a fantastic start, taking the lead. Lando Norris also made a remarkable start from sixth on the grid, diving down the inside of a slow-starting Fernando Alonso and jumping into second place as the cars went into Turn 1.
Sergio Perez meanwhile got off the line well. As Lewis Hamilton passed Alonso for third place and Lance Stroll dropped to fifth ahead of George Russell, Perez impressively shot up from ninth to seventh.
Further back in the pack, there was an unfortunate incident involving Williams’ Alex Albon and the Haas of Nico Hülkenberg. Albon was clipped by Hülkenberg’s Haas, causing both cars to spin into the barriers. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri suffered rear wing damage, and Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri was hit by a loose wheel from Magnussen’s car, resulting in rear damage.
The Safety Car was immediately deployed due to the debris littering Turn 1, and with the barriers damaged, the red flags were soon waved, temporarily stopping the race.
When the lights went out for the second time, Max made an excellent start to retain the lead. Norris managed to stay close, while Hamilton attempted to pass Norris on the outside but locked up, allowing Alonso to slip in behind the Mercedes and then use the slipstream to steal third place from Hamilton on the run to Turn 4.
Stroll, on the other hand, had a second bad start and was overtaken by Russell and Perez, who moved up to sixth place. Perez wasted no time in going on the offensive and quickly put pressure on Russell. Russell had the benefit of DRS from his teammate Hamilton ahead, making it challenging for Perez to overtake.
Nevertheless, Perez proved equal to the task and, on lap 14, powered past Russell into Turn 1. Russell used DRS on the Reta Oposta to attempt a counterattack, but Perez, on the inside, showed bravery on the brakes and held his position as they exited Turn 4.
Freed from the DRS train, Perez’s next target was fourth-placed Hamilton. On lap 18, Perez executed the same move on the seven-time champion, passing Hamilton into Turn 1 and defending his position in Turn 4. This prompted Mercedes to pit Hamilton at the end of the lap, and on the following lap, Russell also switched from Soft tyres to Mediums.
Red Bull decided to pit Perez from fourth place at the end of lap 20, but the undercut strategy proved effective, and Perez emerged behind Hamilton, requiring him to overtake the Mercedes once again. However, Perez’s momentum was unstoppable. Hamilton managed to fend off an initial attack in Turn 1 on lap 24, but Perez had a strong exit from Turn 3 and passed Hamilton on the following straight.
Max Verstappen made his first pit stop at the end of lap 27, with Norris pitting right behind him. The Red Bull pit crew executed a swift 2.2-second tyre change for Verstappen, while Norris lost four tenths of a second during his stop. Verstappen and Norris rejoined the race in first and second place, maintaining their positions.
Perez, who pitted much earlier than Alonso, started drifting away from the Aston Martin driver as his Medium tyres didn’t perform as well. However, when Perez made his final pit stop for Soft tyres at the end of lap 47, his pace improved significantly, and he began to close the gap on Alonso once again.
Max Verstappen made his final pit stop at the end of lap 56, switching to Soft tyres for his final stint. Norris briefly took the lead while Verstappen was in the pits, but Verstappen returned to the front of the pack when Norris made his final stop three laps later.
The most intense battle saw Perez and Alonso fight it out for the final podium position. When Perez made his final stop for Soft tyres at the end of lap 47, he gave it everything to put pressure on Alonso.
With a series of blistering laps, Perez closed the gap once again. A tense cat and mouse battle with Alonso ensued. Perez used DRS to close in with Alonso deploying his battery to defend vigorously over the final 20 laps.
On lap 70, Perez finally got his chance. He managed to get better exits out of Turns 10 and 12 and, with the assistance of DRS, darted up the inside of Alonso to take third place.
The veteran Alonso didn’t give up easily. Now with DRS on his side along the long straight, the Spaniard managed to retake the position. With only a few kilometers left in the race, Perez tucked in behind the former World Champion, preparing for one final attempt.
That opportunity came at the end of lap 71. As Max Verstappen crossed the finish line to secure his 17th win of the season, Perez used DRS at the exit of Junçao to initiate an exhilarating drag race to the flag. Although he pulled alongside the Aston Martin of Alonso, the Spaniard had was only able to keep Perez at bay by the smallest of margins as they crossed the finish line.
The Brazilian Grand Prix provided a spectacle filled with action, overtakes, and a thrilling battle for the podium. Max Verstappen’s victory solidified his position at the top of the championship, while Sergio Perez showcased his impressive skills as he narrowly missed out on a podium finish.
Missing out on a podium by 0.053 seconds, Sergio Pérez said, “It took me a while to get through the Mercedes and that damaged my race, after that we were always a bit on the back foot with Fernando. We were chipping away at him and towards the end we came really close to the podium.
“I have to say well done to Fernando because it was a great fight and really fair racing. Between us, whoever got the podium, it was well deserved, and he got it. I had the opportunity and went for it but he was really fast on the straights and I don’t think I could have done anything differently in the final few laps.
“I think that pace has been there for the last few weekends, but we haven’t been able to put it all together, it was a matter of time before it came. It was a good weekend for us in Championship, because we are getting closer to securing second spot, now we go to Vegas.
Securing his 17th win of 2023, Max Verstappen reflected, “It has been a good weekend in Brazil. It was a great race and we had good all-round pace throughout. Again, it was a really long stint on the tyres and it was important to save them throughout as we had high tyre degradation.
“Lando had a good race and I had to work to defend in the first lap and maintain the gap. He was close to me in stint one and pushed a bit harder on the newer compounds at the start but I stayed calm throughout the race, just relaxed and let the car roll into the corner. He did well and we had some good racing today.
“It has been quite a long triple header so looking forward to a few days break before preparing for Vegas. I am enjoying the moment and hopefully we can continue this success until the end of the year.”
With only two more race weekends to go, Christian Horner said, “A superb race today on all counts. Max was fantastic. Got out in front early and managed the tyres well. It is a similarly stellar performance we have been seeing all season.
“Equally, Checo had a brilliant drive, back to the form we know so well. The form we have been willing him back to in the later stages of this season.
“He gave as good as he got against Alonso but unfortunately was just pipped at the post. Some great racing. It’s been a fantastic season for us and there are still two races to go.
“Our attention turns to Vegas in two weeks; racing down The Strip on Saturday night. It’s certainly going to be a week like no other.”