Verstappen denies Norris first F1 win in Brazil sprint race
Norris had beaten his close friend Verstappen to pole but the three-time world champion turned the tables on the McLaren driver by snatching the lead at the start as he took the inside line into Turn 1.
Norris closed to just over a second behind Verstappen at mid-distance but was unable to get close enough to threaten the Dutchman, who ultimately eased to his fourth sprint race win of 2023.
Some way back from the front two, Sergio Perez twice passed Mercedes’ George Russell to secure what ended up being a comfortable third place.
Russell dropped back from Perez on his way to finishing fourth, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda, who claimed important points for AlphaTauri with a superb drive to sixth.
Lewis Hamilton had been running fifth but the seven-time world champion’s pace dramatically faded in the closing stages as he was shuffled down to seventh at the chequered flag.
The Mercedes driver only just fended off the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, who grabbed the final point on offer in eighth.
