The end of the F1 season is in sight. This weekend the drivers will race for the third week in a row. After this we have a week of rest, we gamble on an interesting return to the Las Vegas GP and we hold the season finale in Abu Dhabi a week later. But first, the last sprint weekend of this year: the 2023 Brazilian GP.
Max Verstappen will travel to São Paulo with mixed feelings. The Dutch driver had successful performances in Brazil. The rain race in 2016 will still be etched in many Dutch memories, but Verstappen won in 2021. Things went less well last year when Verstappen came into contact with Hamilton. This allowed George Russell to record his first victory. You may also remember the 2018 race as the ‘Ocon incident’.
Ocon gives Verstappen a push. He would get that back later | Photo: © Red Bull Content Pool
What should I know about the 2023 Brazilian GP?
Interlagos is a classic on the F1 calendar, which has hardly changed since the first race. It is a tight track with a combination of gravel and grass in addition to the asphalt. The circuit – which goes counter-clockwise – is located on a former swamp area, which provides the slope. The bends on Interlagos also have beautiful names. What about the Senna-S, Descida do Lago (lake division), Bico de Pato (duckbill) and Murgulho (diving).
The track in São Paulo is a bit like Zandvoort: height differences, short straights, fast bends that alternate with tight bends. That is why we look at the results of the Dutch GP for our expectations about Brazil. But it rained during the first two parts of qualifying in the Netherlands, as well as during part of the race. The chance of rain in Brazil is slightly less, but more about that later. For the time being, we are heading towards the Q3 of Zandvoort.
Max Verstappen was the fastest. Verstappen was followed in Zandvoort by Norris and Russell. The McLaren often does well on tracks with high-speed corners. Let’s see if the few quick nods can bring the Orange team forward. Albon also did well in Zandvoort. We give the Thai-British the opportunity to participate at the front.
Who has a lot at stake?
Due to Pérez’s crash during the last GP, Lewis Hamilton has closed within twenty points in the general classification. So now it’s really time for Pérez to start scoring. His seat at Red Bull could even depend on it. Behind Lewis are Sainz and Alonso, both on 183 points. And something tells us that Sainz will win this game. Furthermore, Nyck de Vries is the only driver who did not score any points overall. We dare that this will remain the case.
Speaking of De Vries, his former employer AlphaTauri had a great weekend in Mexico. Daniel Ricciardo had a revival that allowed him to start fourth. He eventually finished seventh. Teammate Tsunoda was also going well until he copied Pérez and caused a collision in Turn 1. Thanks to Ricciardo, AlphaTauri is now equal with Alfa Romeo among the constructors. Let’s see who will win this battle for some extra millions.
What does Max Verstappen say?
Verstappen quits Verstappen.com about the track in São Paulo: ‘Interlagos is very fun to ride because of the height difference. The fact that there is a lot of camber makes braking a challenge. The curbs are now more difficult, because a few have been adjusted. Moreover, the circuit is hard on the tires and that makes it exciting in some corners.’
What is the weather like at Interlagos in Brazil?
Unfortunately, we probably won’t get a repeat of 2016. It could rain during qualifying for the race, and for the sprint race a day later. It will be warm and cloudy for the rest of the weekend. Who knows, the weather forecasters might be surprised by an unannounced shower over Interlagos.
What time does F1 start at Interlagos?
Friday
Free training: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Qualification: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday
Sprint Shootout: 3:00 PM – 3:44 PM
Sprint race: 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Sunday
Race: 6 p.m
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