2023-11-04 15:49:22
Lando Norris (McLaren) will start the sprint race in Brazil after setting the best time in qualifying on Saturday.
The British driver beat the Red Bulls of the Dutchman Max Verstappen – already assured of the title of 2023 world champion – and the Mexican Sergio Pérez, 3rd, for the sprint which will start later in the day, at 7:30 p.m. Paris, GMT+1).
A little over 100 km long, covered in around thirty minutes, this race offers championship points: from eight points for the first to one point for the 8th.
The Briton George Russell (Mercedes), 4th best time on Saturday, will start alongside Pérez on the second row.
His compatriot at Mercedes Lewis Hamilton and the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) will be on the third row, followed by the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri).
The first Frenchman on the grid, Pierre Gasly, will start 13th at the wheel of his Alpine.
The other Alpine, that of Esteban Ocon, is only 16th. In his last fast lap to secure a place in the Top 15 synonymous with passage to SQ2 (the second part of the qualifying session), the Frenchman hooked Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin before ending his race in the wall .
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso in the pits during qualifying for the Brazilian F1 GP in Interlagos (Sao Paulo) Saturday November 4, 2023. The Spaniard was caught by Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine) during qualifying for the race sprint. gestures as mechanics work on his car during the sprint qualifying at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace racetrack, also known as Interlagos, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on November 4, 2023, ahead of the Formula One Brazil Grand Prix.
POOL/AFP
The accident, under investigation to determine everyone’s responsibility, brought the session to a premature end.
If Ocon emerged from his car unscathed, for the moment, the Norman is not yet sure of being able to compete in the sprint, his car having been heavily damaged.
Very efficient on Friday, the Aston Martins of Alonso and Canadian Lance Stroll will only start 15th and 17th. After his collision with Ocon, Alonso was unable to return to the track, his car having also been too damaged to be repaired in time.
The Brazilian GP, 20th round of the season out of 22, is the sixth and final meeting of the year to offer a sprint format.
With the sprint races, Grand Prix qualifying is brought forward to Friday and determines the starting grid for the Sunday GP. It is Max Verstappen, author of his 31st pole in F1, who will start at the head of the Sunday race.
Saturday is essentially devoted to sprinting.
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