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Lando Norris delivered a flawless performance at Interlagos to win the 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix, extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 24 points over McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. The race was a strategic thriller, with multiple tyre gambles, a Safety Car, a Virtual Safety Car, and a sensational recovery drive from Max Verstappen, who stormed from a pit lane start to finish third.
Starting from pole, Norris controlled the race from the outset. Even with varying strategies unfolding behind him, the McLaren driver never looked under serious threat once the mid-race pit cycles played out. His pace on both the medium and soft compounds was strong, and a late switch back to mediums ensured he could push to the flag without tyre concerns. He crossed the line 10.4 seconds clear of his nearest rival, securing a perfect weekend: pole position, Sprint victory, and Grand Prix win.
This result marks Norris’ seventh Grand Prix victory of 2025, matching Piastri’s tally but with the added bonus of two Sprint wins. Crucially, it strengthens his grip on the title fight with just three rounds and one Sprint remaining.
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli produced his most complete Formula 1 weekend to date. After qualifying strongly and showing pace in the Sprint, he held his nerve in the closing laps to fend off Verstappen’s late charge on fresher soft tyres. Antonelli’s defensive driving into Turn 1 and Turn 4 was inch-perfect, earning him second place and his second career podium.
His performance was all the more impressive given the turbulent air and tyre wear challenges he faced, using his medium tyres to maximum effect against Verstappen’s softs.
After a disastrous qualifying left him starting from the pit lane, Max Verstappen needed a miracle to keep his slim title hopes alive. He delivered exactly that. A puncture early in the race dropped him to the back again, but aggressive overtaking and smart tyre management brought him into podium contention.
A late switch to soft tyres allowed him to close rapidly on Antonelli, but the Mercedes rookie’s defence proved unbreakable. Verstappen still finished just 0.3s behind in third — the first driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2014 to reach the podium from a pit lane start at Interlagos.
Oscar Piastri’s championship challenge took another hit. The Australian was handed a 10-second penalty for colliding with Antonelli at the Safety Car restart, a clash that also eliminated Charles Leclerc from the race. Although Piastri fought back to fifth, finishing just behind George Russell, the penalty robbed him of a potential podium and leaves him 24 points adrift of Norris.
The race began with drama. Home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto crashed out on Lap 1 after contact with Lance Stroll, bringing out the Safety Car. Moments later, Lewis Hamilton sustained floor damage in separate incidents with Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto, eventually retiring. Leclerc’s suspension damage from the Antonelli-Piastri clash compounded Ferrari’s misery, marking a double DNF for the Scuderia.
Behind the top five, Oliver Bearman impressed with sixth place for Haas, ahead of Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, and Pierre Gasly. The midfield saw intense battles, with Lawson and Hulkenberg attempting one-stop strategies and Hadjar making late gains.
With 83 points still available across the final three races and one Sprint, Norris leads Piastri by 24 points and Verstappen by 49. For Verstappen, only a Norris DNF could realistically reopen the title fight. Piastri must win consistently to have a chance, while Norris can afford to manage his lead.
The championship now heads into its final triple-header: Las Vegas, Qatar (Sprint), and Abu Dhabi. Norris has one hand on the trophy, but as Interlagos proved, Formula 1 can change in an instant.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.