When it comes to the Interlagos circuit in Brazil, Mercedes seems to find an extraordinary charm to win around here. Battling all kinds of odds, the Silver Arrows, with their drivers, somehow manage ways to get the victory. However, that is all set to change as in-form Red Bull star Max Verstappen figured out the secret recipe by Toto Wolff’s men to break their winning streak.
As the defending champion won the final Sprint race of the season, in doing so, he figured out how crucial nursing the tires can be around this track, as per GP Fans. One who can take their tires home with minimal degradation will surely have enough advantage when the lights go out on Sunday.
Max Verstappen WIIIIINS the final Sprint of 2023!
Once he passed Lando Norris at Turn 1, he never looked back! Norris comes home second, with Perez third#BrazilGP #F1Sprint pic.twitter.com/K939b9a5vf
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 4, 2023
Admittedly, the RB-19 is a great car when it comes to minimal tire wear. This is added with Verstappen‘s hand, who is very expert in playing with the tires and still pushes at a really high speed. All in all, Sunday’s race between Red Bull, Mercedes, and of course, McLaren and Ferrari are all set to get very exciting.
Max Verstappen, after winning the Sprint on Saturday, understood the way out to clinch the Sao Paulo GP win. Something he hasn’t seen here since 2019, as the race did not take place in 2020 due to the pandemic, and the next two editions were won by Lewis Hamilton in 2021 and George Russell in 2022.
Expectations high from Mercedes once again at the Sao Paulo GP
Mercedes arrived in Brazil with huge hopes. This is because they have a very good record around this track, and it suits their car very well, which gives them an edge despite rivals’ dominant display. On top of that, Hamilton had a couple of P2 finishes in the last two races (although disqualified in Austin) and showed his confidence in the car.
However, things did not look good for them this time as they faced issues with their balance on Saturday. This resulted in Russell losing two places to Lando Norris and Sergio Perez, which he gained at the start of the Sprint.
Not the ending we’d hoped for after that mega start from George and Lewis, but we’ve taken some important championship points.
Time to focus on tomorrow’s #SaoPauloGP pic.twitter.com/7AcXeQfYOb
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 4, 2023
Moreover, Hamilton also lost a couple of places to Charles Leclerc and, surprisingly, to Yuki Tsunoda. All in all, the Silver Arrows suffered from technical issues that ruined their Sprint race. The back-to-back failure from Mercedes has now made the fans angry to the extent that some of them even urged the team to burn their car.
Nevertheless, Wolff, Hamilton, and Russell have talked about having improvements ahead of the race on Sunday. With changes made, the Silver Arrows will be expecting to extend their win streak in Brazil. But, for that, they will be facing some serious challenges, not only from Red Bull but also from the likes of Ferrari and McLaren.
