Verstappen Dominates to Take Comfortable Sao Paulo Sprint Victory
Max Verstappen took the lead into Turn 1 and never looked back as he cruised to victory in the Sao Paulo Sprint. McLaren’s Lando Norris was Verstappen’s closest challenger as he finished second whilst the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez rounded out the Sprint “Podium”.
Manic Midfield Battle
Max Verstappen overtook Lando Norris into Turn 1 at the start of the Sao Paulo Sprint before George Russell overtook Lando later round the lap. However, Norris was quickly able to re-overtake George before Russell was passed by Sergio Perez as it was clear that both Mercedes cars didn’t have the pace that the front 3 had. Whilst it was a pretty straightforward race for the front runners, the same can not be said for the drivers fighting in the midfield as we got a great scrap between Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo, and Oscar Piastri for the final points-paying position whilst the Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll both made good moves to clear the two Alpine’s of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. A mistake from Ricciardo when trying to overtake Sainz ended up costing him a place to Piastri (after Oscar made a nice move), and whilst Danny Ric was able to re-overtake his fellow Countryman for P9, it ultimately cost him a couple of points because Daniel ended the race right behind Carlos Sainz who was just behind Lewis Hamilton after Lewis’ pace completely dropped.
The Highs and Lows of the Sprint
I’ve given out three 10’s for today’s Sprint Race and the first one is obviously for Max Verstappen. It was just too easy for Max today and I fear it’s going to be even easier for Verstappen to win tomorrow’s Grand Prix. The second driver I’ve given a perfect 10 to is Lando Norris because whilst he may have dropped a position overall, I think P2 was the best that Lando could’ve got from today’s Sprint. The final driver I’ve given out maximum points to is Yuki Tsunoda as Yuki had a fantastic Sao Paulo Sprint which saw him end up P6. I also thought George Russell got the maximum out of his car as well.
In terms of the lowest possible grade, I’ve given out three 1’s and the first one is for Nico Hulkenberg. Considering Nico started 12th, to end up 18th and over a minute off the lead after just 24 laps is pretty concerning. The second driver I’ve given out the worst possible grade to is Valtteri Bottas as P19 is simply not good enough for a driver of his calibre. The final driver I’ve given a 1 to is Logan Sargeant and that’s simply because he finished last on the road and nearly 18 seconds behind his Williams teammate. I also thought Zhou Guanyu had a poor day whilst Oscar Piastri, Esteban Ocon, and Kevin Magnussen should all be disappointed with their afternoons work.
Overall Sprint Race Results and My Ratings
Max Verstappen: 10
Lando Norris: 10
Sergio Perez: 7
George Russell: 8
Charles Leclerc: 7
Yuki Tsunoda: 10
Lewis Hamilton: 5
Carlos Sainz: 4
Daniel Ricciardo: 7
Oscar Piastri: 3
Fernando Alonso: 5
Lance Stroll: 4
Pierre Gasly: 4
Esteban Ocon: 3
Alex Albon: 4
Kevin Magnussen: 3
Zhou Guanyu: 2
Nico Hulkenberg: 1
Valtteri Bottas: 1
Logan Sargeant: 1
My Predictions for the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix
Max Verstappen
Lando Norris
Fernando Alonso
Sergio Perez
Lance Stroll
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