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Max Verstappen will start the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP in pole position after another intense qualifying session where Red Bull was arguably not the fastest car. The Dutch driver was the first to set a lap time and that's what sealed it for him as compared to his competitors, who were either unable to get the lap in time or were unable to nail everything perfectly.
The Red Bull driver will be accompanied by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the front row followed by the Aston Martin pair of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. The Canadian got one over his Spanish teammate and will start the race in P3.
In a session that needed an agile approach from the teams to get the best result, what did we learn? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Brazilian GP: What did we learn?
#1 Lando Norris lost a potential pole position
This was a pole position that Lando Norris should have secured. Even he admitted afterward that the car was capable of pole position and the fact that McLaren was late in sending him out did cost him.
This season Norris is not in a championship battle and hence these might not count for much but next season, this will get highlighted a lot more.
The 2023 F1 Brazilian GP showed that McLaren has a few chinks in its armor that need to be removed.
#2 Max Verstappen once again showed it's not just the car
Max Verstappen did not have the fastest car in qualifying, Lando Norris did. What the Dutchman did have, however, was a car, that was fast enough to aid his team in sending him out at the perfect time.
The Red Bull driver is getting things right and so is the team. For many who claim "it's the car", well here's another exhibit to prove how well-rounded the entire operation is.
#3 Aston Martin continues to surprise
The first hint of a surprise from Aston Martin came in FP1 where Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll did seem to have decent pace in hand.
The result of the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP qualifying could have a lot to do with the timing from the team on when it sent out the cars but more or less, there seems to be an underlying performance with the car that we haven't seen in the last few races.
Let's see what the team can do on Saturday with the mixed conditions as well.
#4 Mercedes should be happy with the result
For the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP, Mercedes would have wanted more in terms of starting positions. Lewis Hamilton especially appears to be much more comfortable with the car as compared to his teammate and that is quite evident.
Having said that, a third-row start for the 2023 F1 Brazilian GP is still not as bad as it gives the team decent shit at another podium finish.
#5 Haas might be a little disappointed
After a splendid weekend in Qatar, Oscar Piastri seems to have gone off the boil. The Australian has not had the pace of his teammate and has made a few mistakes here and there.
The yellow flag-inducing mistake late in Q3 wasn't that bad but in general, it does appear that Piastri might need to get back in the groove soon for McLaren's challenge in the championship standings.
