Lando Norris significantly strengthened his world championship campaign by winning Saturday’s sprint race in Sao Paulo while his closest rival, Oscar Piastri, crashed out.
Starting from pole position, Norris skillfully led every lap, fending off Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli to take the chequered flag by just under a second. George Russell finished third, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. This victory extends Norris’ lead in the championship standings from a slim one-point margin over Piastri to a more comfortable nine points. Verstappen now trails Norris by 40 points, with a total of 108 points still available in the remaining races.
Norris took an aggressive yet controlled start, maintaining his lead through the chaotic opening corners. Piastri, who qualified third, was initially unable to overtake Mercedes’ Antonelli. However, the race took a dramatic turn on lap six when Piastri made contact with the barriers at the Senna Esses after his front-left tyre clipped a kerb on the damp track. This spun him into the tyre barrier, ending his race prematurely.
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The damp conditions — a result of an overnight storm — made the track treacherous, especially around painted white lines and kerbs, which racers were advised to avoid. Unfortunately, Piastri was not alone in struggling; Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto also crashed in similar sectors, leading to the red-flagging of the event due to damaged barriers that needed repair.
Piastri, who had held a 34-point lead earlier this season after winning in the Netherlands, has seen his championship hopes unravel, suffering multiple crashes in recent rounds including qualifying and races in Azerbaijan and a previous sprint race in Austin which affected both him and Norris.
Following the delay, the race resumed with a rolling start, allowing Norris to fend off Antonelli once more and secure a hard-fought victory. Reflecting on the challenging race, Norris said, “It was tough. It makes the win look rewarding when you have a race like this. Kimi did not make my life easy. It was sketchy. It was not an easy race but the sort of race you would expect here in Brazil.”
Max Verstappen advanced from sixth on the grid to fourth by overtaking Fernando Alonso during the restart, battling wheel-to-wheel with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel through the initial corners before holding position. Verstappen’s loss of four points to Norris widened the championship gap further.
Lewis Hamilton started from 11th and moved up swiftly to eighth before finishing seventh after benefiting from Piastri’s retirement. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc climbed to fifth, overtaking Alonso late in the race.
Tragically, home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a terrifying crash on the final lap when he hit a wet patch, spun violently into barriers at nearly 180mph, and was briefly airborne. Thankfully, he survived the impact but will likely miss qualification due to the severity of the accident.
The Sao Paulo sprint race was a rollercoaster of intense racing, crucial incidents, and changing championship dynamics, setting the stage for a thrilling remainder of the season.