F1 Takeaways: Verstappen continues record season, Aston Martin returns to form

Max Verstappen cruised to victory once again Sunday at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver finished 8.277 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris to earn his record-extending 17th win of the season.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso came in third in a frantic finish to the line as he held off Red Bull’s Sergio Perez by just 0.053 seconds.

Here’s what you need to know from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Aston Martin returns to form

It seemed like a mirage with Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll starting on the second row — the benefactors of a washed-out qualifying session — and appeared too good to be true as Norris and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes swooped by both Aston Martin drivers on opposite sides of the track right at the start.

But lo and behold, Alonso delivered another vintage performance. The 42-year-old, two-time world champion lost P3 late to Perez, jumped back ahead on the final lap and continued to fend off the Red Bull in a drag race to the finish line. Even the strong defensive efforts from Alonso prior to the final moments should be applauded as the analytics had predicted Perez reaching striking distance way earlier in the race.

Meanwhile, Stroll finished fifth to deliver his best performance since Australia — the last time both drivers finished in the top five in fact — way back in early April at the third Grand Prix of the season.

Aston Martin had lost pace to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and a rejuvenated McLaren, slipping to fifth in the constructors’ championship, and this was exactly what the team needed to get back on track.

Win No. 52 for Verstappen

Verstappen’s latest victory is also his 52nd career win to take sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list from Alain Prost.

That now puts Verstappen just one win back of former Red Bull poster boy Sebastian Vettel with two Grands Prix remaining on the schedule. It could be a milestone finish to what’s already been a historic season for Verstappen with the inaugural Las Vegas stop in two weeks followed by the season finale in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 26.

Although his teammate Perez just missed out on the podium, a fourth-place finish helped cushion the gap on Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes for second place in the drivers’ championship: 258 points to 226. It was also a solid rebound for Perez from last week’s opening turn miscalculation at his home race in Mexico, when he collided into Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Born to runner-up

Norris finished second for the sixth time this year and now has set a new personal best for points in a season with 176. Let’s not forget he only had 12 points through the first eight Grands Prix of the season as McLaren got off to a dreadful start before finding themselves in a position where podiums are now the norm.

Still, Norris will have to settle for second while Verstappen continues to drive a rocket ship. Although Norris remained within DRS range through the start of Sao Paulo and even appeared to close up right near Verstappen, it seemed like the Red Bull driver was just toying with his good pal and quickly put distance between them.

Saturday’s sprint served as a harbinger for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Norris held down pole position, but his lead lasted less than 150 metres as Verstappen dashed down the inside line into the first turn and never looked back.

Ferrari’s fumble

Bad luck struck Leclerc early. The Ferrari driver didn’t even make it to the starting grid and was classified with the dreaded DNS (did not start) as he experienced hydraulic problems on the formation lap and crashed into the barriers.

That wiped out what would have been a strong start on the front row in P2 and it’s the second time in three weeks he’s left a Grand Prix empty-handed, following a disqualification in Texas. At least Leclerc was able to pick up points in the sprints during both weekends.

Leclerc, who also has three retirements on the 2023 campaign, finished runner-up to Verstappen in the championship last year but is sitting far behind in seventh this year.

It could have been worse for Ferrari as Carlos Sainz faced clutch issues early in the Grand Prix and downshift problems late, but he was able to hang on for sixth place.

With Mercedes having a terrible weekend as well (more on them in a moment), it was a missed opportunity for Ferrari to close the gap for second place in the constructors’ championship.

Combine all that with the double DNF for Alfa Romeo, whose cars use Ferrari power units, and you’ve got a potential mess on the hands for the Prancing Horse.

Mercedes‘ misfire

George Russell scored his first career Grand Prix victory in Sao Paulo last year but was nowhere close to a title defence. Russell qualified sixth but was hit with a two-place grid penalty for impeding other drivers at the pit exit. If only that was the worst of it.

Russell regrouped and looked to challenge Hamilton for position, but was told to hold off despite his teammate openly struggling with his tires. Both were passed by Sainz with ease and Russell continued to fall down the field as he too started to struggle. Russell was told to lift and coast to go easy on his brakes and then was outright called into the pits to retire the car due to power unit issues.

Hamilton didn’t fare much better in the end having to settle for eighth place behind Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. For a team that sits second in the constructors’ championship, Mercedes sure didn’t look like it.

More from Sportsnet

Verstappen wins Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso takes third by 0.053 of a second

Red Bull’s Perez gets some solace at sprint race of Brazilian Grand Prix

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