Let's address the foregone conclusion first: if proceedings at the Interlagos circuit on Sunday bear any correlation with a standard 2023 weekend, then Max Verstappen will win the Brazilian Grand Prix. The three-time world champion has won four of the six sprints this season and, of the three he won prior to this weekend, he converted all of them into a full grand prix win. Force majeure only would stop this becoming four.
Who stands alongside him on the podium, however, is a more open question. The interruption from Friday night's storm in Sao Paulo rather scattered the key contenders in Sunday's race throughout the top 10, if their individual bursts of pace from the sprint race is anything to go by. Resurgent forces have the opportunity to battle against those who have enjoyed greater fortunes over the more recent rounds, and could plausibly yield a box-office battle for glory... behind Verstappen, of course.
Recent criticisms of the current sprint format is that the shortened race ends up being too much of a bellwether for Sunday's grand prix, which is problematic for the majority of fans who abhor predictability. But unique circumstances faced in the sprint suggest that the battle for second and third might not be a simple copy-paste from Saturday's service, as the soft tyres used during the 24-lap race may find a less visible role during the 71-lap full-length race at the Interlagos circuit.
And, should Verstappen falter for any reason, the crop of drivers in podium contention suddenly have a much greater prize on offer. Either way, it'll be up to them to work with the hand dealt to them as best as they can; some begin with a track position advantage, others have a car advantage, so there's at least some balance in how the race is poised in Brazil.
Let's assess the merits of the key contenders and determine who is best placed to fill Sunday's podium.
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Source: Autosport