Lando Norris achieved a perfect Interlagos weekend with sprint pole, sprint win, pole position for the main race and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory. By scoring the maximum 33 points with this sprint format, Lando extends his points lead in the championship and looking the favourite to win the drivers’ title.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished an impressive P2 for Mercedes, surviving a late race attack from Max Verstappen, who drove an incredible race after starting in the pitlane to finish on the podium for Red Bull.
As for Oscar Piastri, he received a ten-second penalty for causing a collision with Antonelli which knocked out Leclerc from the race. The McaLren driver only managed fifth.
Norris dominated a dry Interlagos race from pole, while behind him Verstappen marched from a pitlane start to third as Lando’s other title rival Piastri suffered his latest setback.
Norris led the start from Antonelli, Charles Leclerc and Piastri – the championship leader having started on the medium tyre while Antonelli opted for softs.
The race was neutralised after two laps for a crash by Gabriel Bortoleto, who was taken off the track at Turn 7 by Lance Stroll. After clipping the Aston Martin’s left-rear wheel, the Sauber veered into the wall at slow speed, enough to damage the suspension.
In the background there was also contact between Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto on the main straight, as Hamilton appeared to misjudge an overtake and clipped his front wing off against the rear of the Alpine, forcing him to pit for a new nose and landing him a five-second penalty. It was an action-packed start to the race for Hamilton, who had already traded a blow with Carlos Sainz in Turn 1.
There was more drama on the lap six restart when fourth-placed Piastri went down the inside of Antonelli and Leclerc to make it three-wide into Turn 1. With Antonelli having nowhere to go in the middle, he and Piastri made contact, punting the Mercedes into the path of Leclerc.
The Ferrari driver came off worst suffering big damage, which brought out a virtual safety car. Meanwhile, pitlane starter Verstappen got up to P13 after the restart but used the following VSC period to change to the mediums due to a front-right puncture.
As the VSC was lifted on the start of lap nine, Piastri chased after Norris for the lead while stewards looked at the three-way incident, handing the McLaren driver a 10-second penalty for triggering the melee.
Norris soon restored a comfortable gap as he continued his superb form, and with Piastri out of the way the nearest competitors were Antonelli, who had escaped damage from the aforementioned contact, and the other Mercedes of George Russell.
They were eventually joined by Verstappen, who had lost ground due to his early VSC pitstop, but deployed much improved pace compared to Saturday thanks to his parc ferme set-up changes. Having gotten rid of his soft tyres early on, the defending champion cleared the entire midfield on his next two medium-tyred stints.
Verstappen’s impressive charge was such that Norris emerged behind him after both of his pitstops, but the Red Bull driver eventually converted to a three-stopper that left him a net fourth, 14 seconds adrift of Norris, and also behind Mercedes duo Antonelli and Russell.
On his newer softs Verstappen was the fastest driver on the track once more and quickly closed the gap to third-placed Russell, passing Russell into Turn 1 on lap 63 of 71. Verstappen then chased Antonelli for second, but just ran out of laps to take P2 from the rookie.
Norris achieved to his seventh Grand Prix win of the season with a 10-second margin on Antonelli, who recorded his best-ever Formula 1 finish in second. Verstappen completed his frantic comeback race with a hard-earned third to retain an outside chance of a fifth world title.
In contrast to the Red Bull driver’s impressive comeback, Piastri was in a tricky situation given his 10-second penalty. In theory, his best option would have been a one-stop to reduce the damage, but with Pirelli’s harder C2 tyre not looking very competitive, medium starter Piastri had to be put on the soft tyres with 31 laps remaining and then needed a second stop to get back onto the mediums with 20 laps to go.
Piastri then cleared midfield leader Oliver Bearman in the Haas for fifth, but the McLaren driver could not avoid falling behind title rival Verstappen and the Mercedes cars and stayed there until the finish.
Courtesy of another rapid race with bold overtakes, Bearman took home sixth on another big day for Haas in the constructors’ standings.
A one-stopping Liam Lawson held on for seventh despite his pace dropping off severely towards the end. Lawson’s strategy did help him stay ahead of Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, with a determined Pierre Gasly taking a point for struggling Alpine.
As part of a long DRS train of midfield cars, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon narrowly missed out on a points finish.
In the background Hamilton eventually retired with suspected floor damage from his early incident with Colapinto, completing an awful day for the Scuderia with two DNFs.
In the championship Norris now leads Piastri by 24 points with three rounds remaining, with Verstappen now 49 points behind.
Ferrari’s non-score meant Mercedes reinforced its second place in the constructors’ standings.
So the perfect weekend for Lando Norris by being the quickest and successful. The McLaren driver is looking the favourite to win the championship now in the dominant MCL39.
As for Max Verstappen, what a comeback performance from the pitlane to get P3. The Red Bull car was tricky to drive but he managed to drag that RB21 to a points finish.
Sao Paulo Grand Prix, race results:
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:32:01.596
2 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +10.388s
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull +10.750s
4 George Russell Mercedes +15.267s
5 Oscar Piastri McLaren +15.749s
6 Oliver Bearman Haas +29.630s
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +52.642s
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +52.873s
9 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber +53.324s
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine +53.914s
11 Alexander Albon Williams +54.184s
12 Esteban Ocon Haas +54.696s
13 Carlos Sainz Williams +55.420s
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +55.766s
15 Franco Colapinto Alpine +57.777s
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +58.247s
17 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull +69.176s
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari DNF
Charles Leclerc Ferrari DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber DNF
Lando Norris has further extended his championship lead after claiming victory in a gripping Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the McLaren driver leading Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli home while Max Verstappen put in a remarkable comeback to finish on the podium after starting from the pit lane.
After making a good start from pole position, Norris continued to lead amid a hectic first few laps, with a Safety Car being deployed following a crash into the barriers for Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto at the Brazilian’s home race.
A Virtual Safety Car was then deployed after the restart due to another incident in which Oscar Piastri locked up and hit Antonelli, sending the Mercedes into Charles Leclerc who was forced to retire his damaged Ferrari from the race as a result.
Piastri subsequently received a 10-second time penalty for that collision in a race that saw a fascinating array of strategies play out – one of which involved Verstappen, who bounced back from an early puncture to climb his way through the order and challenge the frontrunners as the Grand Prix headed towards a thrilling climax.
While Norris crossed the line with a 10-second lead to clinch his seventh Grand Prix win of the season, a nail-biting duel played out behind between Antonelli and Verstappen for second place. Antonelli ultimately held on to claim a career-best P2, while Verstappen’s impressive afternoon ended with a P3 result.
The other Mercedes of George Russell was also under pressure from Piastri as the race headed towards its finish but managed to keep the McLaren at bay to take fourth, with Piastri having to settle for fifth on a day that perhaps could have brought more without his earlier penalty.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-wins-thrilling-sao-paulo-gp-from-antonelli-as-verstappen-climbs-to.4T0Y5xGNn1MOVegzhGTqAx
Lando Norris has shared how he has managed to turn his season around after clinching another victory in Brazil.
“Crazy race! Nice to win here in Brazil. It’s an amazing track, amazing fans. This was for one of my mentors Gil [de Ferran]. A perfect weekend,” he said ahead of the podium celebrations.
After his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri was a heavy favourite to win the championship at the end of August, the Australian driver has suffered a string of disappointing results. This, combined with Norris’s turnaround in performance, resulted in the Briton taking back the lead of the championship after the Mexico Grand Prix.
Heading into the race weekend in Brazil, Norris led the championship by just one point over Piastri. His win at Interlagos means he now leads by 24 points.
When asked what he has done to turn his season around and take back the championship lead, the British driver explained: “Just ignore everyone that talks c*** about you! Just focus on yourself. The team are doing an amazing job, giving me a great car.
“We are pushing hard every single weekend and I’m pushing hard away from the track.
“Rewarding. It doesn’t come easy. To be honest, I don’t think we were the quickest today but I’m glad to take home the win.”
There are just three rounds remaining of the 2025 season, but while the title is in sight, Norris confirmed he is still not thinking about it.
“It’s a great win. But seeing how quick Max was, it’s disappointing we were not quicker,” he added. “That’s where my mind is at the minute. I will see the team, congratulate them, and see why we were not quick enough.
“There’s a long way to go. It can change so quickly. I will focus on myself, keep my head down, ignore everyone and keep pushing.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lando-norriss-defiant-message-after-brazil-gp-win-boosts-f1-title-lead-ignore-the-c/10775465/
Max Verstappen was over the moon following his impressive podium finish at the 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix. With the Red Bull driver starting from the pitlane, expectations were low at the Milton Keynes outfit, but despite this and a puncture, the Dutchman finished third.
Hailing it as an “incredible result”, Verstappen was able to recover through the field, finishing behind McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. What started as a difficult weekend for him ended with an astonishing third-place finish.
Speaking after the race, he said: “The race was quite full on. A lot of action. I had to overtake some cars coming from the pitlane.
“Our pace was quite strong, over all the stints. To be on the podium, I did not expect that at all, even with a puncture at the beginning, that’s why we had to box again.
“Incredible result for us. Very happy with that. Very proud of everyone.
“Yesterday was very tough. We never give up. We always try to improve and find more lap time and luckily we found that again today.
“To finish only 10 seconds from the lead is incredible.”
Starting with a conservative first stint to establish track position after his pitlane start following major set-up changes and a new power unit, Verstappen then suffered an early puncture, forcing an extra stop. But Verstappen quickly showed a rapid pace as the four-time champion briskly moved up the pack.
During the final stages of the race, he was faced with a quick Antonelli, who was able to keep the Dutchman behind him for the end of the race, finishing his Sunday with a career-best second place. Norris, who started from pole, won the race by a 10-second margin.
This will certainly leave Verstappen in a good mood after a challenging Saturday saw him eliminated in Q1 as he complained of low grip. He now goes into the final triple-header with plenty of confidence as his team overtakes Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. Despite a poor result from Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull now finds itself in third with 366 points, just 32 behind Mercedes.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-verstappen-shocked-by-incredible-result-at-brazil-gp-did-not-expect-that-at-all/10775472/
The FIA stewards have explained the 10-second penalty for Oscar Piastri as they blamed the McLaren driver for causing a three-car collision during the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.
On a lap six safety car restart, fourth-placed Piastri went down the inside of Antonelli and Leclerc to make it three-wide into Turn 1, as he aimed to clear the pair and start chasing leader Lando Norris. As Piastri locked up his front-left tyre and he slid into Antonelli, which left the Italian sandwiched in between the McLaren and Leclerc’s Ferrari, and the contact with Piastri punted Antonelli into the side of Leclerc.
The Ferrari driver came off worst by losing his front-left tyre and suffering terminal suspension damage, while both Piastri and Antonelli escaped without damage.
Upon review the FIA’s race stewards felt Piastri was fully to blame for the incident and handed him a 10-second penalty to be taken at his first pitstop, which eventually dropped him from second to fifth. Piastri also received two penalty points on his licence.
In their verdict the stewards judged Piastri wasn’t far enough alongside Antonelli to be claiming the corner, and they also noted the Australian locked up as he tried to back out of the move.
“At the safety car restart on Lap 6, Car 81 (Oscar Piastri) attempted to overtake Car 12 (Kimi Antonelli) on the inside of Turn 1,” the statement read. “In doing so, PIA did not establish the required overlap prior to and at the apex, as his front axle was not alongside the mirror of Car 12, as defined in the Driving Standard Guidelines for overtaking on the inside of a corner.
“PIA locked the brakes as he attempted to avoid contact by slowing, but was unable to do so and made contact with ANT. This contact caused ANT to make secondary contact with Car 16 (Charles Leclerc), who was positioned on the outside and was forced to retire from the race as a result.
“PIA was therefore wholly responsible for the collision. A 10-second time penalty and 2 penalty points are considered appropriate and consistent with recent precedents.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/why-oscar-piastri-was-handed-penalty-for-f1-brazil-contact/10775476/
Oscar Piastri has defended his unsuccessful manoeuvre during the Brazil Grand Prix as the McLaren Formula 1 driver claimed he ‘couldn’t disappear’.
The Australian driver attempted to take second place at Interlagos with a move on the inside of Turn 1, but he locked up and knocked Andrea Kimi Antonelli into Charles Leclerc on lap six.
It resulted in a 10-second penalty for Piastri, who eventually finished fifth, meaning he is now 24 points behind championship leader Lando Norris, who won from pole in Sao Paulo.
“In my opinion, I had a very clear opportunity up the inside,” said Piastri. “Yes, there was a lock up, but I was firmly on the apex, on the white line. I couldn’t go any further left, and I can’t just disappear.
“The decision is what it is. It was one of a number of difficult moments through today and this weekend, but I wouldn’t have done anything differently if I had another chance.”
Piastri added he is “already pretty at peace” with the decision, but he still disagrees with it as the Australian claimed “I was pretty firmly in control” throughout the sequence.
So when asked if the stewards assumed he wasn’t because of the lock up, Piastri said: “I don’t know. No matter what way you look at that, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go, because when you have that good of a run into Turn 1 and you’re fully alongside, you’re not just going to back out.
“I think to try and go in any deeper than I did would have been ambitious, and I was where I was.
“So I think in that scenario, if I was clearly understeering and missing the apex, then it would give me… sure, I’d understand, but the fact that I was as far left as I could have gone makes it tough.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/oscar-piastri-defends-penalised-move-in-f1-brazil-gp-i-cant-just-disappear/10775507/