It's lights out and away we go in Brazil...

Something about Sao Paulo brings racing alive! 

For the last sprint of the season, the first lap saw Max Verstappen close the door on Lando Norris. A thrilling 24 lap encounter, provided entertainment in abundance. With superb wheel-to-wheel racing, the middle order was ripe with overtakes. 

A captivating three-way battle between Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc. George Russell momentarily taking second place, but Norris holding firm to claim runner up ahead of Sergio Perez. Fernando Alonso. Daniel Ricciardo. Yuki Tsunoda. Carlos Sainze. Oscar Piastri. All duelling until the chequered flag. 

As Formula One went racing once again in Sao Paulo on Sunday, a hydraulic problem saw a shocking Charles Leclerc crash in the formation lap. When the lights went out, a first lap pileup brought an early red flag, but nothing would stop Max Verstappen from another dominant victory at Interlagos. 

Red Bull look imperious at every circuit this season, and with Max Verstappen in a class of his own, the Championship has been a foregone conclusion. Lando Norris and McLaren did their best to keep the World Champion honest but after a momentary challenge on Lap 8, they had no response to Verstappen's speed. 

The McLaren was quick nevertheless, and secured runner up ahead of the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso, whose mighty showdown with Sergio Perez was clearly the highlight of the race. A Perez overtake on the penultimate lap saw Fernando Alonso fight his way back onto the podium. In a thrilling finish to the line, Alonso sneaked past the chequered flag by fifty-three thousands of a second. 

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In stark contrast with Red Bull, Mercedes far from lived up to their reputation in Brazil, with Toto Wolff dismissing their performance as "miserable" and "inexcusable". Their recent resurgence seemed to have waned, and surely Lewis Hamilton cannot wait to see the back of this year's Mercedes. 

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George Russell's miserable day culminated in retirement, saving him the humiliation of being lapped by Verstappen. Brazil revealed the mountain Mercedes have to climb, and an undignified tumble back to reality, in a wholly unremarkable season for Mercedes and the W14. 

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Lance Stroll finished fifth, in an revitalized weekend for Aston Martin, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly. With several retirements, including the Alfa Romeo duo, Oscar Piastri rounded off the cars in 14th. 

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Dramatic from the first turn, dramatic till the last, a demonstration from the reigning World Champion but an epic battle for the podium captured the headlines.