Max Verstappen (26) was chased by McLaren’s Lando Norris (23) – but took victory in the sprint race in São Paulo according to his prescription.

Lando Norris had the best start in Brazil on Saturday night, but had to be overtaken by Max Verstappen entering the first corner. Then George Russell in the Mercedes also threw himself in front of Norris – but Norris took back 2nd place.

McLaren’s Norris kept pace with Verstappen, but he never came close to matching the world champion – who has so far taken 16 of a possible 19 main race wins in 2023. But second place was brilliant for Norris, who was still a little disappointed:

– In the end there was too much tire wear, he said on team radio.

– Lando couldn’t have done any better, Viaplay expert Kunal Shah said on the broadcast

Sergio Pérez showed his good side by advancing to 3rd place. The Red Bull racer left the two Mercedes drivers far behind. Lewis Hamilton had tire problems towards the end and was overtaken. He ultimately finished in 7th place.

– A disappointing race by Lewis Hamilton, says Viaplay commentator Atle Gulbrandsen.

– This does not bode well for Sunday, said his colleague Stein Pettersen.

– I’m afraid the same thing will happen on Sunday, Hamilton himself told Viaplay.

Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso crashed during qualifying for the sprint race on Saturday. Ocon was furious:

Until Saturday, AlphaTauri was the only team that had never scored points in a sprint race. There’s a change in that. Yuki Tsunoda was sixth – while Daniel Ricciardo was ninth, narrowly missing out on points.

– We managed it well, Verstappen told his team after the win.

– It’s important to start. Then there’s the matter of caring for the tires afterwards.

– This is a sprint race we will remember, says expert Kunal Shah at Viaplay studio.

Sunday at 18.00 there is the main race in São Paulo. After Charles Leclerc at Ferrari won the best starting position twice in a row, Max Verstappen returned to pole position. And of course a big favourite.

Next to him on the first row is Leclerc to be precise – while Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso have the third and fourth starting slots.

PS: Max Verstappen is long overdue as world champion, but there is excitement to see if Sergio Pérez manages to keep Lewis Hamilton behind him for silver.