The 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023) was the twenty-first round of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace on the weekend of November 3 to November 5 2023.
Max Verstappen secured his 17th victory of the season, setting a new record, at the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix. In a dominant performance, the reigning world champion displayed unwavering confidence on the track.
The race weekend began with a pre-race incident when Charles Leclerc's car suffered hydraulic issues during the formation lap, leading to his retirement. As the lights went out, Verstappen smoothly surged into the lead. However, the race took a dramatic turn when a substantial collision occurred between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen, necessitating the deployment of red flags.
After the restart, Verstappen once again demonstrated his prowess by fending off a challenge from Lando Norris to maintain his first-place position. He ultimately claimed his second victory of the weekend, having already triumphed in the preceding Sprint race. Norris secured a solid second place, while Fernando Alonso completed the podium, successfully warding off Sergio Pérez in a thrilling battle to the finish line.
Several drivers retired from the race, with George Russell forced to pit due to an oil temperature issue. The Alfa Romeo duo of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou also recorded DNF results due to technical problems.
The first-lap collision led to the exits of Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon, and Charles Leclerc also had a DNF due to his early exit on the formation lap.
Background[]
Sprint events[]
The sprint format had ran at six Grands Prix starting this season, compared to three in 2021 and 2022.[1] It had took place at the Azerbaijan, Austrian, Belgian, Qatar, United States and São Paulo Grands Prix.[2]
To accommodate the sprint events, a fresh weekend format was introduced, departing from the one used in 2021 and 2022. The revamped schedule kicks off with a single practice session on Friday, followed by the all-important qualifying session to determine the starting grid for Sunday's Grand Prix. On Saturday, a thrilling new qualifying session, Sprint Shootout, replaces the former second practice session. This session is solely responsible for establishing the grid positions for the Sprint.
The Grand Prix itself still takes place on Sunday, but the build-up and anticipation were heightened by the intense Sprint Shootout on Saturday.
In contrast to the traditional qualifying, the Sprint Shootout qualifying features shorter durations for each phase. Q1 lasts for 12 minutes, Q2 for 10 minutes, and Q3 for a nail-biting 8 minutes. Additionally, a fresh set of tires was mandatory for each phase of the Sprint Shootout. Teams must use medium tires for Q1 and Q2, while the high-performance soft tires are reserved for Q3, adding a strategic twist to the proceedings.[3]
Ahead of the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, the FIA modified the rules for tire usage during the Sprint Shootout. Race Director, Niels Wittich, announced the revised rule for Article 30.5 h) iv), to:
“In the period SQ3 of the sprint shootout, up to one set of dry-weather tyres may be used, and this must only be a set of the soft specification.”
Ultimately, this allowed teams to use a used set of tires in Sprint Shootout.[4]
Weekend format[]
This event was the sixth and final in the season to feature a new format specifically adopted for those Grands Prix which include the additional sprint race. The format will consist of a single practice session on Friday, followed by the qualifying session which will determine the grid for the Sunday's Grand Prix. On Saturday, a new qualifying session called "sprint shootout", in place of the old second practice session, will be run, determining the grid for the sprint. The Grand Prix is taken place on Sunday. The new sprint shootout qualifying is run shorter than the traditional qualifying: Q1 will be 12 minutes, Q2 10 minutes and Q3 8 minutes. In addition, new tyres are mandatory for each phase, with mediums for Q1 and Q2, and softs for Q3.[5]
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix is outlined below:
Free Practice[]
Report[]
Practice Results[]
The full results of the only practice session for the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix are outlined below:
| No. | Driver | Team | Time | Pos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen
|
 Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
|
1:12.793 | 16 | |||||
| 2 |  Logan Sargeant
|
 Williams-Mercedes
|
1:12.579 | 9 | |||||
| 3 |  Daniel Ricciardo
|
 AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
|
1:12.778 | 14 | |||||
| 4 | Lando Norris
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:13.629 | 19 | |||||
| 10 |  Pierre Gasly
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:12.184 | 7 | |||||
| 11 |  Sergio Pérez
|
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
|
1:13.056 | 18 | |||||
| 14 |  Fernando Alonso
|
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes
|
1:12.615 | 11 | |||||
| 16 |  Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari
|
1:11.840 | 2 | |||||
| 18 |  Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes
|
1:12.136 | 6 | |||||
| 20 |  Kevin Magnussen
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:12.592 | 10 | |||||
| 22 |  Yuki Tsunoda
|
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
|
1:12.638 | 13 | |||||
| 23 |  Alexander Albon
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:12.044 | 5 | |||||
| 24 |  Guanyu Zhou
|
 Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:12.481 | 8 | |||||
| 27 |  Nico Hülkenberg
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:11.928 | 4 | |||||
| 31 | Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:12.779 | 15 | |||||
| 44 | Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes
|
1:12.638 | 12 | |||||
| 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr.
|
Ferrari
|
1:11.732 | 1 | |||||
| 63 | George Russell
|
Mercedes
|
1:11.865 | 3 | |||||
| 77 |  Valtteri Bottas
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:13.012 | 17 | |||||
| 81 | Oscar Piastri
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:13.838 | 20 | |||||
| Source: [7] | |||||||||
Qualifying[]
Qualifying Report[]
Q1[]
Q2[]
Q3[]
Qualifying Results[]
The full qualifying results for the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Time | Time | |||||
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
|
1:10.436 | 1:10.162 | 1:10.727 | 1 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari
|
1:10.472 | 1:10.303 | 1:11.021 | 2 |
| 3 | 18 | Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes
|
1:10.551 | 1:10.375 | 1:11.344 | 3 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso
|
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes
|
1:10.557 | 1:10.237 | 1:11.387 | 4 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes
|
1:10.604 | 1:10.266 | 1:11.469 | 5 |
| 6 | 63 | George Russell
|
Mercedes
|
1:10.340 | 1:10.316 | 1:11.590 | 8[8] |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:10.623 | 1:10.021 | 1:11.987 | 6 |
| 8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr.
|
Ferrari
|
1:10.624 | 1:10.254 | 1:11.989 | 7 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Pérez
|
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
|
1:10.668 | 1:10.219 | 1:12.321 | 9 |
| 10 | 81 | Oscar Piastri
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:10.519 | 1:10.330 | No Time | 10 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:10.475 | 1:10.547 | N/A | 11 |
| 12 | 31 | Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:10.763 | 1:10.562 | N/A | 14[9] |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:10.793 | 1:10.567 | N/A | 15[10] |
| 14 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:10.602 | 1:10.723 | N/A | 12 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:10.621 | 1:10.840 | N/A | 13 |
| 16 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda
|
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
|
1:10.837 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
| 17 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo
|
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
|
1:10.843 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:10.955 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| 19 | 2 | Logan Sargeant
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:11.035 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
| 20 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:11.275 | N/A | N/A | 20 |
| 107% Time: 1:15.264 | |||||||
| Source:[11] | |||||||
- Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
Race Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | ______________ | 1 |
| 2 | 1. Verstappen
| |
| 16. Leclerc
|
______________ | |
| Row 2 | ______________ | 3 |
| 4 | 18. Stroll
| |
| 14. Alonso
|
______________ | |
| Row 3 | ______________ | 5 |
| 6 | 44. Hamilton
| |
| 4. Norris
|
______________ | |
| Row 4 | ______________ | 7 |
| 8 | 55. Sainz
| |
| 63. Russell
|
______________ | |
| Row 5 | ______________ | 9 |
| 10 | 11. Pérez
| |
| 81. Piastri
|
______________ | |
| Row 6 | ______________ | 11 |
| 12 | 27. Hülkenberg
| |
| 20. Magnussen
|
______________ | |
| Row 7 | ______________ | 13 |
| 14 | 23. Albon
| |
| 31. Ocon
|
______________ | |
| Row 8 | ______________ | 15 |
| 16 | 10. Gasly
| |
| 22. Tsunoda
|
______________ | |
| Row 9 | ______________ | 17 |
| 18 | 3. Ricciardo
| |
| 77. Bottas
|
______________ | |
| Row 10 | ______________ | 19 |
| 20 | 2. Sargeant
| |
| 24. Zhou
|
______________ |
Grid Penalty[]
- Pierre Gasly received a 2-place grid penalty for the feature race as he was driving slowly in the pit exit and was not as far to the left side as possible.[10]
- Esteban Ocon received a 2-place grid penalty for the feature race as he was driving slowly in the pit exit and was not as far to the left side as possible.[9]
- George Russell received a 2-place grid penalty for the feature race as he was driving slowly in the pit exit and was not as far to the left side as possible.[8]
Sprint Shootout[]
SQ1[]
SQ2[]
SQ3[]
Sprint Shootout Results[]
The final Sprint Shootout results for the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix are outlined below:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | SQ1 | SQ2 | SQ3 | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Time | Time | |||||
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:11.824 | 1:11.221 | 1:10.622 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen
|
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
|
1:11.888 | 1:11.262 | 1:10.683 | 2 |
| 3 | 11 | Sergio Pérez
|
Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
|
1:12.218 | 1:11.230 | 1:10.756 | 3 |
| 4 | 63 | George Russell
|
Mercedes
|
1:11.976 | 1:11.516 | 1:10.857 | 4 |
| 5 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton
|
Mercedes
|
1:11.870 | 1:11.476 | 1:10.940 | 5 |
| 6 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda
|
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
|
1:12.358 | 1:11.676 | 1:11.019 | 6 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc
|
Ferrari
|
1:12.107 | 1:11.473 | 1:11.077 | 7 |
| 8 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo
|
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT
|
1:12.175 | 1:11.423 | 1:11.122 | 8 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz, Jr.
|
Ferrari
|
1:11.796 | 1:11.491 | 1:11.126 | 9 |
| 10 | 81 | Oscar Piastri
|
McLaren-Mercedes
|
1:12.356 | 1:11.648 | 1:11.189 | 10 |
| 11 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:12.058 | 1:11.727 | N/A | 11 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg
|
Haas-Ferrari
|
1:12.136 | 1:11.752 | N/A | 12 |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:12.229 | 1:11.822 | N/A | 13 |
| 14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:12.303 | 1:11.872 | N/A | 14 |
| 15 | 14 | Fernando Alonso
|
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes
|
1:12.224 | No Time | N/A | 15 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon
|
Alpine-Renault
|
1:12.388 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | Lance Stroll
|
Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes
|
1:12.482 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
| 18 | 24 | Guanyu Zhou
|
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari
|
1:12.497 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| 19 | 23 | Alexander Albon
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:12.525 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
| 20 | 2 | Logan Sargeant
|
Williams-Mercedes
|
1:12.615 | N/A | N/A | 20 |
| 107% Time: 1:16.821 | |||||||
| Source:[12] | |||||||
- Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
Sprint Grid[]
| Pos. | Pos. | |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Driver | |
| ______________ | ||
| Row 1 | ______________ | 1 |
| 2 | 4. Norris
| |
| 1. Verstappen
|
______________ | |
| Row 2 | ______________ | 3 |
| 4 | 11. Pérez
| |
| 63. Russell
|
______________ | |
| Row 3 | ______________ | 5 |
| 6 | 44. Hamilton
| |
| 22. Tsunoda
|
______________ | |
| Row 4 | ______________ | 7 |
| 8 | 16. Leclerc
| |
| 3. Ricciardo
|
______________ | |
| Row 5 | ______________ | 9 |
| 10 | 55. Sainz
| |
| 81. Piastri
|
______________ | |
| Row 6 | ______________ | 11 |
| 12 | 20. Magnussen
| |
| 27. Hülkenberg
|
______________ | |
| Row 7 | ______________ | 13 |
| 14 | 10. Gasly
| |
| 77. Bottas
|
______________ | |
| Row 8 | ______________ | 15 |
| 16 | 14. Alonso
| |
| 31. Ocon
|
______________ | |
| Row 9 | ______________ | 17 |
| 18 | 18. Stroll
| |
| 24. Zhou
|
______________ | |
| Row 10 | ______________ | 19 |
| 20 | 23. Albon
| |
| 2. Sargeant
|
______________ |
Sprint Race[]
Report[]
Sprint Results[]
The full results for the sprint race of 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix are outlined below:
Race[]
Report[]
The 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix featured a dramatic race day after a thrilling F1 Sprint event. Max Verstappen aimed to secure another victory, but several changes in the starting order and a dramatic incident occurred.
Before the race even began, Charles Leclerc had to retire due to hydraulic issues. Verstappen held his lead as the lights went out, and Lando Norris impressively climbed to second place. Lewis Hamilton moved up to third, but a heavy collision between Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon resulted in the deployment of the Safety Car.
The red flags came out as several cars were involved in the incident, including Nico Hülkenberg and Oscar Piastri. During the red flag period, Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo managed to repair their cars and rejoin the race from the pit lane.
As the race resumed, Verstappen maintained his lead, with Norris and Hamilton in pursuit. Fernando Alonso made a daring move to secure third place from Hamilton. Further back, Lance Stroll lost positions, while Hulkenberg made gains.
As the race progressed, Norris tried to challenge Verstappen but couldn't make a pass. George Russell voiced frustration at being held up by Hamilton, and Sergio Pérez closed in on Russell for position.
The race saw several pit stops, with Hamilton and Pérez using undercut strategies to their advantage. Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas faced early retirements due to technical problems.
Alonso was the first of the top three drivers to pit, while Piastri opted for soft tires. Verstappen and Norris maintained their positions after pit stops, and Carlos Sainz passed Russell for seventh.
Perez continued to chase Alonso for third place, and Stroll moved ahead of Sainz into fifth. Meanwhile, Russell faced challenges from Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. Hamilton reported struggling with his tires, and Sainz overtook him.
As the race continued, Perez closed in on Alonso, and Tsunoda overtook Bottas for tenth place. Bottas eventually retired due to mechanical issues.
Hamilton and Russell faced struggles, with Hamilton questioning his tire choice. Gasly passed Russell, leaving him to battle Tsunoda. Gasly later reported brake issues, while Hamilton's difficulties persisted.
Perez made a successful pass on Alonso for third place, and Stroll had a slower pit stop. Ocon set the fastest lap after his pit stop and targeted Russell.
In the closing laps, Perez continued to pressure Alonso for the final podium spot. Meanwhile, Verstappen claimed his 17th win of the season, with Norris in second place. A thrilling battle ensued between Alonso and Perez, with Alonso narrowly holding onto third.
Stroll secured fifth place, while Sainz managed to retain sixth despite downshift problems. Gasly and Ocon collected points for Alpine in seventh and tenth, respectively, with Hamilton and Tsunoda in eighth and ninth.
Logan Sargeant and Nico Hülkenberg finished in 11th and 12th positions, withRicciardo and Piastri at the rear of the field due to earlier damage.
Results[]
The full race results for the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix are outlined below:
Milestones[]
Standings[]
Following the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix, the constructor's standings remain unchanged. Carlos Sainz, Jr. lost two places to Alonso and Norris. Gasly lost a place to Stroll and Tsunoda gained two places.
Post-Sprint Standings[]
Only point-scoring drivers are shown. |
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Post-Race Standings[]
Only point-scoring drivers are shown. |
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References[]
Images and Videos:
References:
- ↑ "Formula 1 calendar to feature six Sprint events from 2023 onwards". 27 September 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-formula-1-calendar-to-feature-six-sprint-events-from-2023-onwards.6JpUPQeXnDnmYEzvlcySXk.html. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ "Formula 1 announces venues for six F1 Sprint events across 2023 season" (in en). 7 December 2022. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-formula-1-announces-venues-for-six-f1-sprint-events-across-2023.4tvAAXFGdkoHKE8Onjh8Ya.html. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- ↑ "Explained: Everything you need to know about the 2023 F1 Sprint format". 25 April 2023. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.explained-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2023-f1-sprint-format.583WHWKbWVVBemPKi6pJxH.html. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ "FIA tweaks F1 sprint qualifying tyre rules to avoid inters farce". 29 June 2023. https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-tweaks-f1-sprint-qualifying-tyres-rules-to-avoid-inters-farce/10488948/. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ↑ "Explained: Everything you need to know about the 2023 F1 Sprint format". 25 April 2023. https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.explained-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2023-f1-sprint-format.583WHWKbWVVBemPKi6pJxH.html. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - P1 Classification - Corrected (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 63 - Impeding at Pit Exit (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 31 - Impeding at Pit Exit (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Infringement - Car 10 - Impeding at Pit Exit (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Final Qualifying Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Final Sprint Shootout Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Final Sprint Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
- ↑ 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix - Final Race Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
| v·d·e | Nominate this page for Featured Article |
| V T E |  São Paulo Grand Prix
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Circuits | Interlagos (2021–present) |  |
| Races (São Paulo GP) | 2021 • 2022 • 2023 • 2024 | |
| See also | Brazilian Grand Prix |