McLaren’s Lando Norris has extended his championship lead over team-mate and title rival Oscar Piastri to 24 points with a dominant victory at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Norris secured his second consecutive win, putting him nearly a clear win ahead of Piastri with just three grands prix remaining. However, the Briton’s triumph was somewhat overshadowed by a remarkable recovery drive from Max Verstappen.
Starting from the pit lane and suffering an early puncture, the Red Bull driver fought back to finish third, just behind Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. Despite this strong performance, Verstappen now trails Norris by 49 points and is likely out of title contention.
Piastri finished fifth after receiving a 10-second penalty for causing a collision. He challenged Mercedes’ George Russell late in the race, mirroring Verstappen’s pursuit of Antonelli in the closing laps.
Norris’ victory — his second in succession and seventh in 21 races this year — was never really in doubt during what was a perfect weekend for the British driver. The 25-year-old controlled the race from start to finish, having claimed pole position and secured a sprint victory on Saturday. The weekend earned him a total of 33 points and solidified his grip on the championship lead.
Norris got off the line well to take the lead on the first lap, expertly navigating a chaotic opening section of the race, which featured an early safety car followed by a virtual safety car (VSC) a few laps later. He then pulled away, adopting a two-stop strategy to seal the win.
The initial safety car was deployed after a first-lap crash involving Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin at Turn Nine. The later VSC followed a collision at the lap six restart between Piastri, Antonelli, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. This incident led to Leclerc’s retirement and resulted in Piastri’s penalty.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton also faced difficulties early on. His Ferrari was damaged after contact with Williams’ Carlos Sainz at Turn One, and a misjudged overtaking attempt on Alpine’s Franco Colapinto at the start of lap two broke his front wing. Hamilton struggled with a damaged floor and lack of pace, ultimately retiring from the race.
Norris dedicated his win to former McLaren adviser Gil De Ferran, a key figure in the team’s recent revival, who passed away from a heart attack in December 2023.
Verstappen had qualified only 16th after struggling with his car’s performance throughout the weekend. Red Bull opted to start him from the pit lane to fit a new engine and adjust his car’s setup in an effort to boost pace. By lap seven, Verstappen had climbed to 13th, but a puncture forced an additional pit stop that dropped him back to the rear.
Despite this setback, Verstappen utilized a two-stop strategy and displayed impressive pace to recover through the field. By lap 51, he was leading the race after Norris made his final pit stop, prompting speculation that Red Bull might keep Verstappen out on medium tyres to defend against Norris and the Mercedes drivers during the final laps.
Instead, Red Bull chose to attack, pitting Verstappen for fresh soft tyres three laps later. He rejoined the race in fourth place, 5.6 seconds behind Russell, but quickly closed the gap and overtook the Mercedes driver with a brilliant move around the outside of Turn One on lap 63.
Verstappen then pursued Antonelli and caught up to him by lap 67, with four laps remaining. Despite the Dutchman’s efforts, the Italian rookie defended well, maintaining position as Verstappen’s tyres began to lose performance.
The stewards judged Piastri to be at fault for the collision involving Antonelli and Leclerc. The Australian attempted an aggressive move on the inside, nearly alongside Antonelli as they entered the first corner side by side. However, Piastri locked his inside wheel, causing a collision at the apex that sent Antonelli into Leclerc and broke the Ferrari’s front suspension. Though the move appeared bold, the stewards penalized Piastri with a 10-second time penalty.
Piastri has not finished ahead of Norris since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, and momentum has clearly shifted away from his championship challenge with just the races in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi remaining.
Behind Piastri, Oliver Bearman delivered another strong performance, finishing as the best of the rest for Haas in sixth place. Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson led a long train of cars to the finish, closely followed by his team-mate Isack Hadjar, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Williams’ Alex Albon, Haas’ Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
The São Paulo Grand Prix was a thrilling and eventful race that has further intensified the battle for the championship as the season approaches its climax.
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