SAO PAULO: Max Verstappen clinched a dominant victory in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, making it a record-breaking 17th win for the world champion in 2023 Formula 1 season.
There was drama before the race had got underway when Charles Leclerc went off on the formation lap after losing the hydraulics, forcing him to retire, F1 reports.
When the lights went out, Verstappen made a clean start into the lead, but a heavy collision between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen behind resulted in the red flags being thrown.
It was another strong getaway from Verstappen at the restart, who resisted a challenge from Norris to hold P1 before going on to clinch his second win of the weekend after coming out on top in Saturday’s sprint.
“The starts were very important today; both of them were very good. Then after that the whole race was about the management of the tyres. We were good on any tyre, but I think especially that middle stint, we could create a bit of a gap, so I thought that was very strong there,” said Verstappen.
Norris claimed a solid second place, while Fernando Alonso completed the podium after holding off Sergio Perez in a thrilling battle to the line.
Lance Stroll added to Aston Martin’s tally by taking fifth, ahead of the sole Ferrari runner of Carlos Sainz in sixth. The inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, is up next set to take place from November 17-19.