The Brazilian Grand Prix delivered an intense race that had its fair share of twists and turns, and although the winner was a predictable one in Max Verstappen, there were battles all over the grid that kept us on the edge of our seats. But before we begin, we would like to congratulate Lando Norris on his 13th podium. He is now level with Nick Heidfield for podiums without a win. Not a record he would like to keep for long.
The start of the race was interrupted with Charles Leclerc spinning out in the formation lap due to a fault in the hydraulics. This put him out of the race before it even began and essentially took away the only threat to Verstappen, leaving the latter alone in the front row.
The race began and was immediately red flagged, thanks to a serious collision involving Nico Hukenberg, Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussed, and Oscar Piastri. The second restart was announced with Max and Lando leading the pack.
Through the race, Aston Martin faced a complete see-saw with Hamilton and Norris overtaking Alonso and Stroll. While the latter struggled post that overtake, the experienced Fernando Alonso put all his skills in action and skilfully overtook Hamilton to take third place.
Norris then engaged in an nail biting battle with Verstappen, but ultimately the Red Bull triumphed, and Lando had to concede. Elsewhere, Sergio Perez made his move on Hamilton stick, and to make matter worse, Stroll found some pace in is car and overtook both the Mercedes, adding to the woes of the Brackley based outfit.
As the laps dwindled, tire strategies came into play. Hamilton encountered difficulties, allowing Sainz to smoothly overtake him and showcase Ferrari’s dominance. Simultaneously, Alonso defended skillfully against Perez, utilizing his Energy Recovery System.
As the laps went on, the teams decided to play the tire strategy game. Mercedes struggled through this phase as well, allowing Sainz take his Ferrari ahead of the silver arrows. But the battle we absolutely enjoyed was the one between Alonso and Perez. The two put on a masterclass, and the to-and-fro between the experienced drivers was an absolute blockbuster. In the end, it was Alonso, who masterfully deployed his Energy Recovery System, to keep his position, but only just.
As the final lap approached, Perez sensed a final opportunity to make a pass on Alonso and book a spot on the podium. He pushed all the way and Alonso had nothing but his ERS to assist him. As the two headed for the finish line, it was Alonso who made it past before Perez, and the gap between them? 0.053 seconds!!!
Max Verstappen came home victorious with Lando and Fernando Alonso completing P2 and P3 respectively. The race winner had nothing much to do, but it was the rest of the grid who gave us the blockbuster action.
