The Final Sprint Saturday of the Season
For the final time in 2023, this weekend sees the return of the Sprint Saturday Format. This means that Qualifying will take place on Friday to set the Grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix whilst the Sprint Shootout and Sprint Race itself will take place on Saturday. Personally, I enjoy having more meaningful/competitive sessions so I’m looking forward to it.
Can Yuki Tsunoda Bounce Back after a disappointing Weekend in Mexico City?
Yuki Tsunoda has definitely had his best season in Formula 1 this year in terms of overall pace and performance. However, Yuki was sort of outshone by Liam Lawson when he stepped in for 5 Rounds after the Summer Break whilst, in last week’s Mexico City Grand Prix, Tsunoda crashed out of the points after colliding with Oscar Piastri whilst his teammate Daniel Ricciardo scored 6 points which was enough for Alpha Tauri to go from 10th to 8th in the Constructors’ Championship. It feels kind of important that Yuki Tsunoda has a good weekend and beats his teammate this time around.
Can George Russell Win at Interlagos Again?
I think it’s fair to say that George Russell hasn’t had a particularly great season this year. George is only 8th in the Championship and he’s some 69 points behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, we return this weekend to the track where George Russell secured his maiden Formula 1 Victory in last year’s Grand Prix and you can’t forget that Russell also won the Sprint the day before. Considering George also ran quite well here for Williams, this feels like a weekend that he could return to the Podium.
Can Haas Move Off the Bottom of the Constructors’ Championship?
Whilst there have been some disappointing performances by both Teams and Drivers in the 2023 Formula 1 Season, you could make an argument that Haas have been the most disappointing. After both Alfa Romeo and Alpha Tauri scored big points in Qatar and Mexico City respectively, Haas now find themselves bottom of the Constructors’ Championship with only 12 points. This is a disaster for Haas, especially when you consider that they didn’t develop their car at all in 2021 in order to be further up the grid when the new Regulations came into effect. However, there are still three Rounds to go this Season and maybe they’ll score good points this Weekend at a track that saw their greatest triumph this time last year.
Will Lewis Hamilton Finally Return to the Top Step of the Podium?
Lewis Hamilton has definitely been one of the Standout Drivers in 2023 and he currently sits third in the Drivers’ Championship, just 20 points behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez. However, despite Lewis’ good season, he still hasn’t been able to achieve a Race victory and he’s gone nearly two years now without standing on the top step of the Podium. Having said that, Interlagos is a track that Hamilton tends to go pretty well on and considering he’s going to be the most popular driver in Brazil this weekend, it’s not out of the question that Lewis Hamilton can’t win for the 104th time.
My Predictions for Interlagos Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton (the first time I haven’t picked Verstappen for P1 since Monaco Qualifying)
Max Verstappen
Lando Norris
George Russell
Carlos Sainz
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