Formula 1
MAX WINS ANOTHER RACE, NORRIS TRIED BUT, NO CIGAR AND CHECO STAYS FOCUSED TO FINISH THIRD!
MAX VERSTAPPEN:
“The start was key for us today: it was good to get the lead into turn one and it was important to keep the first few laps under control. Tyre management is incredibly difficult here because of the high degradation and I really had to look after them right from the beginning of the race.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 02: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing reacts in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 02, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
You can’t go flat out as it is a very long stint on the tyres, so you do need to pick your moments. Ultimately, I am happy with how we managed the tyres and we have had some successful Sprint races this year, which is positive. We will all learn a lot from today. Lando was also very close to me for the duration of the race so I expect it will be an even closer result tomorrow.”
LANDO NORRIS
“My initial start was good, but the second phase of the launch, maybe I was just a bit conservative – I don’t think I had any wheelspin, I was just a little bit on the safe side. So things to improve for tomorrow, but nevertheless, I got caught sleeping a little bit with George on Lap 1, but the pace was strong after and I tried to go after Max, but just didn’t have enough. But it was good fun.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL60. Photo: McLaren.com 2023
“We’re not fighting necessarily Max; I think we’re talking about competing against one of the best drivers in one of the best cars that’s ever been in Formula 1. We’re not going to be suddenly fighting a Red Bull on a track where we almost didn’t expect it to be as good it has been.
“So many good surprises and a lot of positives for us. Tomorrow I’ll try again and perhaps a little bit more overtaking.”
SERGIO PEREZ:
“It is definitely a good result, but I would have liked to have had a better start and have been in contention for first. We had a terrible start and first lap, losing position to both Mercedes so that meant things were not as we wanted, we had to push hard and I had to make use of my tyres early on, so I ended up paying the price later on in the race.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 03: Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 03, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
Tomorrow is the main race, and everyone is going to learn from the Sprint, we expect a very high tyre deg, so everything is going to suffer, the engine, the brakes… It will be all about looking after the tyres, it will be a long race with a lot of competition but the race pace of the car should be good and the podium is my target.”
YUKI TSUNODA:
“First of all, a big congrats to the team! Yesterday wasn’t our day, but together, we made a big comeback today. Qualifying P16 yesterday for the Grand Prix and P6 today for the Sprint race shows a big step in the right direction. The car was fun to drive, but we have to understand why there was such a difference between yesterday and today.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 04: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Scuderia AlphaTauri prepares to drive prior to the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 04, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool.
There were a couple of places where I could improve my driving, and I think the last lap in SQ3 was my best lap so far, which allowed me to start in a good position for the Sprint race. We maximised our opportunity, finishing P6, which is the highest position so far this season. With a couple more laps, I might’ve been able to fight for P5 with Leclerc ahead of us. I’m happy with my race craft today, and the pace the car had, especially in the race, was strong. Daniel also had good pace, so it was a big team effort.
Well done to the team because, without their hard work, I wouldn’t have been in that position. Now I’m looking forward to racing again tomorrow. We’re in a good rhythm now, so we’ll build on it and bring even more performance into tomorrow. It won’t be easy because we’re starting further back, but we know our car is good, so we’ll overtake as much as possible, with points being possible.”