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The 2023 F1 Brazilian GP sprint ended with Max Verstappen on top, followed by Lando Norris in P2. The two drivers just continued to eke out laptime while everybody else struggled with tire wear.
It was one of the rare sprint races that was full of excitement and had a lot going on from start to finish. Sergio Perez made his way through the field as well to finish in P3 followed by George Russell in P4. Charles Leclerc rounded up the top 5 finishers in the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP sprint. With 24 laps clocked and a decent amount of running done, what did we learn? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint: What did we learn?
#1 Max Verstappen has enough in hand to win
Max Verstappen will start the race on pole position and, looking at the pace that he had in the sprint, there's no one that's going to catch him. The only possible challenge is starting the race in P6 and that would make it hard for him to make his way through the field and even challenge for the win.
#2 Lando Norris is possibly the closest to Max Verstappen
There was a time in the race when both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were almost 1.5 seconds quicker than everybody else on the grid. The pace that the two drivers had, they were in a league of their own and it showed as well. Norris has been brilliant this season, and the sprint was another instance of his supreme talent shining through.
#3 Ferrari and Mercedes should be nervous for tomorrow
The way both Ferrari and Mercedes just fell off in terms of degradation was a major surprise. Arguably, the biggest was the way Lewis Hamilton fell like a stone through the field. Ferrari tends to struggle with race pace. That has been the tendency of the car in general. The fact that even Mercedes has it here seems strange, but the team's competitors won't mind.
Both teams will be nervous heading into the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP as the prospects don't look that bright.
#4 AlphaTauri is a points threat
As soon as Daniel Ricciardo got the jump on Oscar Piastri, his lap times were on par with what Max Verstappen was doing at the front of the grid. While a couple of laps can't be held as an indicator of pace, it showed that there is certainly potential in the car. While both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda will start the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP down the grid, a points finish will not be a major surprise.
#5 Aston Martin should be a decent contender for Sunday
Aston Martin, in the hands of both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, was doing a very impressive job in the race. Both the drivers made decent progress in the race and both will look at the struggling Mercedes and Ferrari cars and hope to make the most of the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP opportunity.
