With only three races to go in the calendar year of 2023, the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix definitely served fans with thrilling and dramatic finishes. In last weekend’s chaotic race, three-time defending world champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull Racing once again showed his dominance over other 19 drivers in Formula 1, after the 26-year-old Dutchman led from start to finish in São Paulo, while McLaren’s Lando Norris took home a well-deserved second place and Aston Martin’s old-timer Fernando Alonso only just overcame Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez in a photo-finish for the final podium of the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Norris Won Qualifying Classifications for the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix’s Race and Spint Race
Verstappen not only conquered the race in the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix; The 26-year-old world champion also won the rain-intense and red-flagged qualifying round of the actual race, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. It is worth noting that the third-placed start for Stroll was his best finish in a qualifying round since the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, where the Canadian driver took pole.
The Sprint shootout classification, on the other hand, was a triumph for Norris, who finished first over Verstappen and Checo, but even the brilliant British racer could not prevent the mighty Dutchman from Red Bull to win it all in the Sprint Race, finishing +4.287 seconds behind the 26-year-old Verstappen.
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Sexta-feira tranquila em Interlagos pic.twitter.com/m0I5S4QetF
— Lasanhas Culture (@lasanhasculture) November 3, 2023
Intriguing Race Through and Through
The 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix saw a total of six drivers unable to finish their race, with Leclerc being the first casualty. The Monégasque driver’s race was finished before it was started, since he had a hydraulics problem in his car during the formation lap. Moments later, Kevin Magnussen from Haas bumped into Alex Albon from Williams in Turn 1 of the opening lap, taking both drivers out of the contest right after lights out. The other retired drivers in the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix came from both Alfa Romeos (Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu) as well as Mercedes’s George Russell.
Since Verstappen displayed his superiority at the front, the battle between the rest of the 13 available racers of the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix was beyond entertaining. Following the restart due to a red flag, Norris was benefited from Leclerc’s disastrous end and rose to second by resisting a strong challenge by fellow British driver Russell, while Verstappen pulled ahead and increased his lead after only a few laps in.
Furthermore, like many previous races in the current 2023 F1 Season, Checo, who did not perform well in the qualifying round, had to fight from the middle pack for a podium finish, and his efforts saw him handsomely get past two Mercedes during the process, first edging out Russell in Lap 14, followed by an overtake on 7-time world champions Lewis Hamilton.
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Alonso and Checo Locked Horns for the Final Podium
The highlight that filled everyone’s mind for the later part of the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix was none other than the feisty competition between two of the veteran racers in the circuit, Alonso and Pérez. The battle started when the fourth-placed Checo closed on the gap on the third-placed Alonso with less than 15 laps to go, and the Mexican driver finally leapfrogged the older Spaniard in Turn 1 of Lap 70, leaving everyone in the stand in utter amazement.
However, knowing that the 42-year-old Alonso never gives up in any kinds of situations in a race, Checo would have expected a stubborn comeback from ex-two time Formula 1 champion, which the Spaniard eventually did. In Turn 4 of the final lap, Alonso retaliated to regain his third place and the duo went back and forth till the very end of the race. Before Pérez could complete his comeback at the chequered flag, Alonso earned a photo-finish for the final podium of the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix over the younger driver, with only a mere difference of 0.053 seconds.
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Alonso: “A Lot of Respect (For Checo).”
The 42-year-old Alonso had nothing but respect over Pérez during the post-race interview, whom he edged out for the last podium of the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix. The Spaniard said: “Very aggressive moves, a lot of respect, and I’m happy it was with Checo, and we could put on a good show.” Checo, on the other hand, echoed the Spaniard’s sentiments, saying “It was a great fight with Fernando. I don’t think with a lot of drivers you can do these types of manoeuvres. It was really tight from beginning to end, and it was super enjoyable.” The duo then embraced for the memorable battle at the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix.
Alonso also went on to comment about Aston Martin’s rollercoaster ride in the 2023 F1 Season and said that with his podium finish in São Paulo, the team is ever ready for the last two races of the year. “It was tough, the last few months. We had some difficulties in finding the pace and also with the car’s direction. But it seems that now, we’ve understood a few things about the setup, a few things also in the car. [The podium] is for the team because they’ve been putting a lot of work to understand this package and today’s result is a boost for everyone. Now, we cannot wait to go to Vegas. So this is a good energy.”
Both Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix will be taking place later this month, serving the grand finale to an exciting F1 Season in 2023. Be sure to catch all the latest updates about these two races at OtherLeague.com, and if you are also a fan of other sports like basketball, you should not miss the current happenings in the NBA as well!
