Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen drove to victory on Sunday at the Brazilian Grand Prix held at São Paulo's Autódromo José Carlos Pace, and which served as round 21 of the 2023 F1 World Championship.
It means his tally of wins this season has grown to 17, which is a record that may grow yet as two races remain on the calendar.
Though he and his team have already won this season's titles, he hasn't relented one bit. Verstappen was dominant throughout the weekend, having also secured pole position following Friday's qualifying session and the win at Saturday's standalone Sprint race.
McLaren's Lando Norris also delivered another strong drive in Sunday's main race to finish in second place, roughly eight seconds behind Verstappen. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso also showed a return to form by finishing third, albeit some 34 seconds off the winner's pace.
2023 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix
There was drama before the race even started, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc spinning off during the formation lap due to faulty hydraulics, forcing him to retire. When the lights turned green, Verstappen made a smooth start and, following a slight challenge from Norris, was soon comfortably in front.
Further back, a heavy crash between Williams' Alex Albon and Haas' Kevin Magnussen saw their race ended and the red flags come out. McLaren's Oscar Piastri and AlphaTauri's Daniel Ricciardo also suffered damage because of the crash, forcing them both to pit.
The race would resume with a standing start, after which Norris would again put pressure on Verstappen, but failing to succeed, then fell back again. Meanwhile, both Mercedes-Benz AMG drivers were suffering issues with their cars. George Russell was forced to retire due to an oil temperature issue and Lewis Hamilton on multiple occasions radioed in that he was having trouble with his car, though he managed to continue on. Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu also retired due to technical problems with their own cars.
Following the weekend's action, Verstappen's unbeatable tally in the 2023 Drivers' Championship stands at 524 points. Fellow Red Bull driver Sergio Perez is second with 258 points and Hamilton is third with 226 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull sits on 782 points. Mercedes is second with 382 points and Ferrari is third with 362 points. The next race on the calendar is the new Las Vegas Grand Prix which takes place in a fortnight.
2023 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix
Below are the full results from the 2023 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Lando Norris, McLaren +8.277 seconds
3) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +34.155 seconds
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +34.208 seconds
5) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +40.845 seconds
6) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +50.188 seconds
7) Pierre Gasly, Alpine +56.093 seconds
8) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +62.859 seconds
9) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri 69.880 seconds
10) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1 lap
11) Logan Sargeant, Williams +1 lap
12) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +1 lap
13) Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri +1 lap
14) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +2 laps
NC) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG – DNF
NC) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo – DNF
NC) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo – DNF
NC) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – DNF
NC) Kevin Magnussen, Haas – DNF
NC) Alexander Albon, Williams – DNF
