Checo Pérez Misses the Podium by 53 Thousandths in the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix was quite a spectacle, marked by incidents, the start, and the fierce battle between Fernando Alonso and Checo Pérez.
Max Verstappen won the race, with Lando Norris finishing second, but all eyes were on Alonso and Pérez.
Checo Pérez had to settle for fourth place, followed by Lance Stroll, in a strong display for Aston Martin. Carlos Sainz came in sixth, and Pierre Gasly finished seventh, making a remarkable climb from his 15th starting position.
Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon rounded out the top ten in a race that saw only 14 cars receive the checkered flag, as the two Alfa Romeo drivers, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas, also retired due to mechanical issues.
It was a tough race for Mercedes, as Lewis Hamilton could only manage eighth place, and George Russell had to retire due to oil temperature problems in his power unit.
Also read: Here’s the Medal Standings for the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago.
The Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix had a high-octane start, with several cars going off track. Even before the race began, there were issues when Charles Leclerc went off track, causing damage to his wing.
On the third lap, there was a crash at the start, involving one of the Haas cars, with Kevin Magnussen taking the brunt of it, and Alex Albon was also involved.
Following these incidents, the Race Control decided to halt the race and clean the track.
Max Verstappen led the race at the time of the red flag.
At the race restart, Max Verstappen made a perfect start, but Norris kept the pressure on in the early laps. Meanwhile, Checo Pérez was in sixth place, and Fernando Alonso made a great overtaking move to take third.
The Mercedes cars were in fourth and fifth, waiting for opportunities in the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix, while Lance Stroll closely pursued Checo Pérez, just half a second behind.
Soon after, Checo Pérez passed George Russell with a brilliant maneuver and set his sights on his championship rival, Lewis Hamilton. Within minutes, Checo Pérez managed to overtake the British driver, moving into fourth place and challenging for a podium finish in the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix.
The first pit stops took place, and Checo Pérez came out behind Hamilton, starting an intense battle. As the race progressed, the drivers seemed to manage their tires due to the hot track conditions.
Carlos Sainz put on an impressive performance, overtaking the Mercedes cars to claim sixth place. On lap 47, Checo Pérez made his second pit stop in the Brazilian Grand Prix, aiming for a podium.
At this point, positions shuffled as most drivers entered the pits. The afternoon was challenging for the Mercedes cars, as they lost positions and gradually fell behind the front-runners.
Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin had a strong performance, successfully holding off Checo Pérez’s threats. With 15 laps to go, Verstappen made a pit stop for soft tires.
Lando Norris delivered an outstanding performance, trailing the race leader in the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix. On lap 70, Checo Pérez managed to pass Fernando Alonso, but the Spaniard had DRS (Drag Reduction System) in his favor.
The final lap was a thrilling showdown between the two Spanish-speaking drivers battling for the podium.
In the end, Fernando Alonso secured third place, with a mere 53-thousandths of a second difference between him and Sergio Pérez.
