Brazil GP: Verstappen secures 17th race win of 2023 as Alonso returns to podium

Red Bulls Max Verstappen completes the clean sweep of the final triple-header of the season as he secures his 17th race win this season, at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

How the race unfolded…

It was a tricky start to the race as it was unclear if the start would be aborted. On the formation lap, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lost control of his car and crashed out at turn seven. The Monegasque, who was due to start second, was able to return to the circuit but quickly peeled off to the side of the circuit.

This allowed the race to start unhindered. When the lights went out, Verstappen raced into Turn 1 unchallenged as his fellow competitor retired. In turn, this allowed McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to move up to P2 and P3 as the two Aston Martins were slow off the line.

However, the race was soon red-flagged after the Williams’ of Alexander Albon was tagged by Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg which sent him into the path of Kevin Magnussen, Haas. Both Albon and Magnussen were out of the race and the marshals worked to repair the tyre barrier and remove both stranded cars.

During the red flag, both McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Alpha Tauri’s Daniel Ricciardo were retired from the event but their respective teams managed to repair the cars enough to allow them to rejoin, albeit from the pit lane and at the back of the field.

The race soon restarted with a standing start with Verstappen on pole, ahead of both Norris and Hamilton respectively. Verstappen got a good launch off the line to retain the race lead as Norris filtered into second. Hamilton was soon placed under pressure by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who took third from the seven-time world champion, in to turn four.

From there, the race entered its management stage as the teams and drivers managed their tyres to meet their required stint lengths. After the pit stops were completed, Verstappen remained out in front ahead of Norris and Alonso. However, Alfa Romeo suffered a double DNF and Mercedes was forced to retire George Russell in the latter stages due to mechanical issues.

Verstappen clinched his 17th win of the season with Norris in second. It was an intense battle between Sergio Perez and Alonso as the duo fought over the final podium position. On the exit of the final corner, the Aston Martin and Red Bull found themselves in a drag race to the line. This battle was ultimately won by Alonso who secured third by the narrowest of margins: 0.053s.

Perez headed the best of the rest in fourth as Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Hamilton completed the top eight. Both Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) completed the top 10, the latter being the last of the running drivers to be lapped.

That’s all for the article; Brazil GP: Verstappen secures 17th race win of 2023 as Alonso returns to podium!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Brazil GP: Verstappen snatches sprint victory after opening move into turn one
• Brazil GP: Norris pips both Red Bulls to sprint pole as Ocon collides with Alonso
• Scary scenes as grandstand roof rips off after Brazil GP storm
• Russell, Ocon, Gasly handed 2-place grid drop for impeding pit exit
• Brazil GP: Verstappen takes pole as bad weather ends qualifying early
• Verstappen breaks own record with 16th win this season at Mexico GP

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.