The sprint race of the Brazilian Grand Prix has been claimed by Lando Norris. Behind him, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen finish second and third respectively in São Paulo. As a result, Norris closes the gap on the Dutchman by two points: the gap decreases from 47 to 45 in the drivers’ championship.
ROUND 1/24: The expected chaos in the opening round does not materialize. Pole sitter Oscar Piastri stays ahead of teammate Lando Norris at the start, with Max Verstappen settling behind Charles Leclerc in P4. There are no incidents in the opening round.
ROUND 4/24: Verstappen attempts to outmaneuver Leclerc for third place, but the Ferrari driver holds firm. In the backfield, Nico Hülkenberg is making progress, gaining three places. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, is struggling: he is unremarkably circulating in P14.
ROUND 8/24: Norris is pressing Piastri, who starts complaining over the team radio and clearly wants to get past his Australian teammate. However, a team order is not issued, while Leclerc and Verstappen are gradually closing in on Norris.
ROUND 15/24: The order remains unchanged, although Verstappen is still hot on Leclerc’s heels. The stalemate at McLaren continues, but Norris and Piastri do not swap positions. In the sub-top, Sergio Pérez and Liam Lawson are having a fierce battle, this time for P8, just like in Mexico.
ROUND 18/24: And there’s Verstappen’s overtaking move, this time he does manage to beat Leclerc on the straight. Does he now set his sights on Norris? McLaren would do well to let their drivers swap positions if they want the Brit to make up maximum ground in the title fight.
ROUND 22/24: Piastri receives the team order to let Norris pass. A wise move from McLaren, as Nico Hülkenberg has now stalled with an engine problem and if a safety car is deployed, overtaking is not allowed. It becomes a virtual safety car, so McLaren is just in time with the position swap.
ROUND 24/24: The flag drops, Norris wins ahead of teammate Piastri. He just manages to stay ahead of Verstappen.
