With videosMax Verstappen does not start the sprint race in Brazil from the first starting box. The world champion already predicted that the differences would be small at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace and that was correct. He was in the Sprint Shootout a fraction slower than McLaren driver Lando Norris. The Briton is still awaiting a visit to the stewards because he may not have adhered to the maximum ‘delta time’ somewhere.
After qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen indicated that he was curious about the real relationships between the drivers. The extreme weather conditions on Friday afternoon had given a distorted picture, although with the world champion as the winner. But under better conditions, more would become clear, according to the Dutchman. He was not so sure in advance that he would also have the Sprint Shootout was going to win. “The differences are very small,” he said.
And so it turned out, in a shoot-out that started chaotically. A major crash by Esteban Ocon prematurely ended the first session in São Paulo. The Frenchman from Alpine was on a fast lap when he had to overtake the slow-moving Fernando Alonso. At that moment he lost control of his car and landed hard into the wall.
Watch the collision between Ocon and Alonso:
It made no difference that the Spaniard from Aston Martin was involved in Ocon’s crash. The images of the braking action with which Alonso tried to prevent this were telling. The rubber on his tires was eaten by the asphalt. In any case, the situation meant that he did not come out in the second session, meaning he had to start the sprint race in fifteenth place. In addition to Ocon and Alonso, the premature end of the first session also resulted in Lance Stroll as a victim. The Canadian will start tomorrow in the main race from third place, but will have to make do with starting position seventeen in the sprint race.
In the meantime, AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo performed well again. He drove a very strong qualifying and a good race in Mexico last week, but was unable to repeat that on the first day of the race weekend in Brazil. But in the Sprint Shootout he showed that his performance in Mexico was not a one-off. Ricciardo qualified fourth at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace for the decisive session, although he ultimately finished eighth, two places behind his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
Watch the denouement of the sprint qualification:
The Japanese starts behind two Red Bulls and two Mercedes, but both top teams did not take victory. That went to McLaren driver Norris. The Briton was 0.061 seconds faster than Verstappen, who was ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. The world champion is indeed not just faster than the rest in every session and the differences between the teams actually seem to be smaller in Brazil than elsewhere. But given that he also starts the sprint race (7:30 PM Dutch time) from the front row, albeit not from (the unofficial) pole position, it is still a very good sign for Verstappen and Red Bull.
“It was close during the entire qualifying session,” Verstappen looked back afterwards. He did not look back on his last lap with satisfaction. “In the first sector and the beginning of the second, I was just not on top of it. It’s always difficult when you only have one set of tires. If you take big risks, you might be rewarded, but today I fell just short of that.”
16:06
NORRIS WINS SPRINT SHOOTOUT
The sprint qualification is a prey for Lando Norris! The Briton is exactly 0.061s faster than Max Verstappen in his McLaren! Sergio Pérez clocks the third fastest time, ahead of both Mercedes and then Yuki Tsunoda.
That bodes well for tonight. From 7:30 PM we will be doing (sprint) racing in São Paulo!
16:04
But Verstappen does not reach Norris’s time! What does everyone else do?
16:04
In any case, Verstappen is fast in the first sector.
16:04
Piastri is the first to start. Let’s go!
16:02
Here they come. When Leclerc cuts off a Red Bull for a moment. What a crowd at the end of the pit lane! Verstappen drives onto the track third and has created a gap to the two McLarens at the front.
15:59
It looks like they’re all going for one try. The clock is ticking and we don’t have any action on the track yet.
15:58
Not unimportant: Pérez, Sainz and Piastri no longer have a completely new set of softs. Then you are basically 1-0 behind.
15:57
Start SQ3
Now that’s what matters! In just over 8 minutes we will know who will start at the front tonight. Verstappen, Norris, Pérez, a Ferrari or a Mercedes like a jack of all trades?
15:51
End of SQ2
And there is Norris for the top time (1.11.221), while both Mercedes also save it at the last minute! Verstappen, who used older rubber, is third, with Ricciardo in a nice fourth place.
The dropouts are named Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Bottas and Alonso.
3:50 PM
Verstappen improves on mediums used: 1.11.262. Ricciardo just shoots to P2, that’s also great!
Pérez, in turn, goes a little faster than Max: 1.11.230.
15:48
Here we go for the decisive run of SQ2. For example, will we get two Haas drivers in the third part?
15:46
With about 4 minutes to go in the danger zone: Ricciardo, Alonso, Gasly, Bottas and Tsunoda. They all don’t have time yet and in Alonso’s case that won’t happen either.
Leclerc pays a quick visit to the weighbridge.
15:44
Sainz and Pérez close in, with Leclerc and Piastri also within two-tenths of Max. The Mercedes duo is quite disappointing in that respect, although there is of course still a run.
15:42
Verstappen says on the radio that the wind is a bit stronger than just now. He’s already on his timed lap. And that will be a 1.11.449.
3:40 PM
Start SQ2
So with fourteen drivers still in the race, we have finally started SQ2. Verstappen was again the first to arrive, with teammate Pérez in tow. We will be driving on mediums again for the next 10 minutes.
15:35
We continue at 3:35 PM with the sprint qualification. Nice!
That’s going to be without Alonso. They didn’t get his car ready to go in time.
15:34
Ocon may also have to answer for not adhering to the ‘maximum delta time’. Russell, Norris and Piastri are as well under investigation for that offense, possibly back in the pit lane.
3:30 PM
Some more time is needed to repair the tire stack…
The teams will be notified 5 minutes before the start of SQ2.
15:26
At Aston Martin they are not sitting idle either, because Alonso’s car obviously has to be prepared for soon. (Scroll down a bit for images of the crash!)
15:23
Just as shocking: Ocon and Alonso are under investigation before that collision. The stewards look at it after the session.
Result, standings and programme
watch here the results of the grands prix from this year, the standings in the general classification and the program for the rest of the season.
Formula 1 season standings 2023
Calendar Formula 1
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