SAO PAULO: Max Verstappen secured his 17th win in a record-breaking season on Sunday, resisting early pressure from Lando Norris to triumph in an accident and incident-hit Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Red Bull’s three-time world champion came home 8.277 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Norris on a sunlit afternoon at a packed Interlagos circuit. Behind them, Fernando Alonso snatched third for Aston Martin by just 0.053 seconds from Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull. Alonso and Perez provided a thrilling finale as they battled through the final laps before the Spaniard regained the podium position and held the Mexican at bay as they roared across the line. Lance Stroll finished fifth in the second Aston Martin ahead of Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, whose team-mate Charles Leclerc crashed out on the formation lap, and Pierre Gasly of Alpine. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finished eighth for Mercedes after a race-long survival battle against degrading tires ahead of Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon in the second Alpine. For Verstappen, it was his 52nd career win, lifting him one clear of four-time champion Alain Prost on the list of all-time winners. “It was really good,” said Verstappen. “A well-executed race by the team, perfect pit-stops and well done I think.
