Lando Norris made his dominant weekend in Brazil perfect with victory in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Max Verstappen produced an incredible comeback drive on the asphalt: the world champion started from last place in the pit lane and finished on the podium in third. Norris, who had already won the sprint, extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to a comfortable 24 points. Behind second-place Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes, Max Verstappen followed.
The defending champion in the Red Bull, starting from the pit lane, carried out an impressive damage limitation drive. However, Verstappen’s slim chance of winning the world championship has likely vanished for good given the 49-point deficit. Three F1 stops — Las Vegas, Doha, and Abu Dhabi — remain on the race calendar this season. A maximum of 83 points are still up for grabs before the season concludes next month, after which a major regulation reform will follow.
Ferrari debacle
Runner-up Oscar Piastri in the McLaren finished fifth behind Mercedes driver George Russell. Yuki Tsunoda, in the second Red Bull, once again played no role (17th). For Ferrari, it was already the third zero-point result of the season. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both retired, leaving the Scuderia only fourth in the constructors’ standings behind Red Bull Racing. Beaming with joy, Norris wasn’t carried away by talk of the title. “It was a perfect weekend,” said the 25-year-old Briton, emphasizing after his commanding lights-to-flag victory: “I had to push hard, too.” For most of the race, the now seven-time winner of the season managed his lead seemingly effortlessly. For the seventh time in a row, the driver who started from pole position also celebrated victory in the Grand Prix.
Antonelli holds off Verstappen
Verstappen, meanwhile, had an entirely different challenge. After major setup problems during qualifying, his car was fitted with a new turbocharger, among other changes. Because of the rule violation, he was only allowed to start from the pit lane behind the field — once again launching an epic comeback drive. A year ago, he had already delivered one of the most impressive races in Formula 1 history at Interlagos, storming from 17th on the grid to victory in a wild, rain-soaked race. This time, Verstappen almost made it to second place. But while he caught Russell at the end to the roaring cheers of the fans, Mercedes’ Antonelli defended the best result of his career like a young lion against the four-time world champion.
