Sao Paulo, Brazil – Lando Norris dominated the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint race at Interlagos, claiming victory in a drama-filled event where his McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri, crashed out. The result significantly impacted the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, with Norris extending his lead over Piastri to nine points.
Norris started from pole position and controlled the 24-lap sprint, though he faced late pressure from Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli finished a close second, just 0.845 seconds behind Norris, with George Russell completing the podium in third. Max Verstappen of Red Bull struggled to fourth place, expressing his disappointment after the race.
The race was marked by treacherous conditions due to earlier rain, leaving parts of the track damp and slippery. These conditions played a significant role in Piastri's unfortunate exit. On lap 6, Piastri, who was running in third place, lost control at Turn 3. His McLaren drifted onto the wet kerb, causing the car to spin and crash heavily into the barrier. The impact brought out a red flag, halting the race for approximately 22 minutes while the damaged barrier was repaired.
Adding to the drama, Nico Hulkenberg in his Sauber and Franco Colapinto driving for Alpine, also fell victim to the same corner shortly after Piastri's incident. Hulkenberg managed to return to the pits for repairs, but Colapinto's car sustained too much damage, ending his sprint. Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto crashed on the final lap.
"Kimi certainly wasn't making my life easier,” Norris admitted after the sprint. "Definitely not an easy race, always expect a difficult one in Brazil."
Following the restart after the red flag, Norris maintained his lead, managing the gap to Antonelli despite struggling with his soft tires towards the end of the race. Antonelli closed in rapidly, but Norris held on to take the victory.
The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had a relatively quiet race, finishing in 5th and 7th positions, respectively.
McLaren Team boss Andrea Stella commented that the kerb at Turn 3 was "unforgiving and too wet for racing conditions". Despite the setback, Stella expressed confidence in Piastri's ability to "reset quickly" for the main race. Piastri himself acknowledged his mistake, stating he was trying to put it behind him.
With only a few races remaining in the 2025 season, this result puts extra pressure on Piastri to recover lost ground in the championship fight. The Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying will take place later today at Interlagos.
