#F1 #BrazilGP: @LandoNorris takes #F1Sprint victory as team-mate @OscarPiastri crashes.

Norris Brazil Sprint Victory – Championship leader Lando Norris claimed victory in a chaotic Brazil GP Sprint, which saw title contender Oscar Piastri crash out and end under double-waved yellows after Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto’s heavy shunt as Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell rounded out the top three.

Norris extended his championship lead to nine points over McLaren team-mate Piastri. Verstappen is 30 points behind the Australian, but 39 behind championship leader Norris.

But the big points are still to play for this weekend – a DNF tomorrow could completely change the complexion of the Championship fight.

When the 24-lap Sao Paulo F1 Sprint began, pole-sitter Norris got a comfortable getaway on the rundown to turn one and covered Antonelli easily.

Behind them, Hamilton made a solid start to jump into eighth place from 11^th as Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll dropped to ninth.

Replays from the start showed a coming together between RB’s Liam Lawson and Haas’s Oliver Bearman, which caused the latter to spin – the Briton was down in 18^th.

On the beginning of the second tour – Norris’s lead over Antonelli was at 0.410 seconds with Piastri third, Russell fourth, Verstappen up into fifth, Alonso down to sixth, Leclerc seventh, Hamilton eighth, Stroll ninth as Hulkenberg completed the top ten.

Lap four – Norris was well clear of DRS range from Antonelli as the gap increased to 1.4 seconds with Piastri holding third, Russell fourth, Verstappen fifth, Alonso sixth, Leclerc seventh whilst Hamilton completed the points-paying positions.

The front five had a little bit of space around them. The man in danger was Alonso, who had Leclerc just 0.3 seconds behind with Hamilton 0.4 seconds further back.

On the sixth lap, Norris had broken the DRS range of Antonelli behind and now held a 1.5 second lead. Piastri was 1.1 seconds behind the Italian, as gaps started to open out there on track. Leclerc remained the first driver with DRS, as he hunted down Alonso.

Piastri crashed out from third after touching the kerb and spun into the barrier as also Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto also both went straight into the barriers.

The safety car was deployed as replays showed Piastri just took a tiny bit too much kerb there. And the kerbs were wet. That sent the Australian into the barriers, and as he dragged that water across the track, Hulkenberg then crashed behind and so did Colapinto. All three crashes at the same corner.

Hulkenberg managed to keep his engine going and limped back to the pits without a front wing as the red flags were waved on lap eight with Antonelli reporting that race leader Norris dragged a bit of water onto the track.

The situation was that 18 cars are parked in the fast lane of the pits.

Norris was leading from Antonelli and Russell. Verstappen is fourth ahead of Alonso, Leclerc, Hamilton and Stroll.

Alpine’s sole runner Pierre Gasly is just one place away from a point in ninth.

Piastri and Colapinto were out of the Sprint after crashing, and it remains to be seen if Hulkenberg will take the restart, as and when that will be.

The incident at turn four with the collision between Lawson and Bearman was currently under investigation by the race stewards.

When the race resumed at 11:35am local time after Piastri’s MCL39 and Colapinto’s A525 racers were cleared and the barriers repaired – pole-sitter Norris waited right at the end to get a jump as Russell ran wheel-to-wheel with team-mate Antonelli, but the latter covered the former.

Verstappen ran deep into turn one but managed to keep Alonso behind to hold fourth place.

On lap ten, Norris was leading at 1.207 seconds over Antonelli with Russell third, Verstappen fourth, Alonso fifth, Leclerc sixth, Hamilton seventh as Stroll rounded out the top ten.

The 11^th tour – Verstappen was clear of Alonso now that his medium tyres had warmed up at this stage of proceedings, and that meant Alonso had to switch to defence mode with Leclerc and Hamilton both having DRS behind.

Hamilton looked very confident in these tricky conditions. Behind the Briton, Gasly on softs was all over the back of Stroll too in the fight for the final points place.

On lap 12 – Alonso was making his AMR25 entry as wide as possible, but behind the Spaniard Leclerc locked up and that had a concertina effect as Hamilton was forced to jam on the brakes behind and also locked up.

Lap 13 – Norris’s lead was at 1.4 seconds over Antonelli, who had started to drop Russell. Verstappen could not quite get in touch with the front three but he was on course for five points, so would ship three more points to Norris – but the Dutchman would eat into the gap to Piastri in the World Driver’s Standings.

The 14^th tour – Norris was warned about the wind picking up. It looked like conditions were the only thing that could do for the championship leader. Further back, Leclerc was just two tenths back on Alonso.

Lap 15 – Alonso was the only driver being told to lift and coast – with the double world champion potentially running light on fuel – That explains why he could not break the DRS of Leclerc behind. The Ferrari was all over the back of the Aston Martin.

On the 16^th tour – Gasly was chasing hard, all over the back of Stroll. The Frenchman was 0.6 seconds behind Stroll in the battle for eighth place, and both were on the softer tyres.

Lap 17 – Norris was told to watch his rear tyres – the track was drying, temperatures were rising and he was on the softer C4 compound.

Behind, the Mercedes duo were sitting pretty on the C3 yellow-marked mediums.

And further back, Lawson was fighting hard with Ocon, having already collided with the other Haas VF-25 entry of Bearman.

The 18^th lap – Another lap of being stuck up behind Alonso’s gearbox for Leclerc, who still had DRS – as did Hamilton behind.

Up-front, Norris did look to be struggling – and Antonelli had started to close in on the McLaren.

Lap 19 – Antonelli was closing, but not fast. He was now 1.1 seconds behind Norris so could well have DRS next time around. The race pace here was much more evenly matched between McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull at this stage of proceedings.

The 20^th lap – Antonelli had DRS on race leader Norris, but crucially, his rear tyres were starting to go off the cliff. Those two had dropped Russell, and Verstappen was now closing in as well.

Lap 21 – Problems for race leader Norris – he had a moment, and now Antonelli was just four tenths back. With DRS assistance, he closed right up. The Italian was sniffing a first Sprint win.

The 22^nd tour – Antonelli was right on his Norris’s tail. But close ups show some rear tyres on the Mercedes looked suspiciously worn as Leclerc made his way ahead of Alonso to take fifth place at turn four.

On the penultimate lap – Up-front, Norris was holding Antonelli at bay.

And Gasly overtook Stroll and was into the points.

Home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a heavy crash at the Senna S on the last lap bringing out double-waved yellows as Norris took the Sprint victory by 0.845 seconds as Russell completed the top three.

Replays showed Bortoleto was in a DRS train and thought about a move on Albon ahead. But as the home favourite pulled off the racing line and hit the wet part, he spun into the nearside barrier before sliding across the track in-front of the Williams and hit the opposite barrier. Thankfully the Brazilian was ok.

Verstappen came home fourth and ahead of Leclerc who took fifth and Alonso who placed sixth.

Hamilton was next in seventh as Gasly rounded out the final points place.

You can see the full Formula 1 MSC Cruises Grand Premio De Sao Paulo 2025 F1 Sprint Results Classification at the link: FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2025 – SPRINT

2025 Brazil GP F1 Sprint – The Top Three

2025 Brazil GP F1 Sprint Winner – Lando Norris, #4, McLaren Formula 1 Team, Mercedes, MCL39 – (8 Points):

“It was tough. Makes the win a bit more rewarding, especially with Kimi here not making my life easier. It was sketchy, I had a couple of near misses – the wind was tricky and the degradation on the tyres… I expected us to be a little better, so we have some homework to do.”

2^nd Place – Andrea Kimi Antonelli, #12, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, F1 W16 – +0.845s – (7 Points):

“Was a very fun race, tricky conditions at the beginning. We tried to keep the pressure on Lando and came up just short. The confidence is high, but the field is so tight. We’ll see today what we can do.”

3^rd Place – George Russell, #63, Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, F1 W16 – +2.318s – (6 Points):

“It was a good race for us both, Kimi did a great job putting Lando under pressure – but we need to do the same this afternoon, Qualifying is so tight. We feel good, the temperatures are cool and we know that is how we like it so let’s see what we can do later.”

***2025 Formula 1 World Driver’s (10) and Constructor’s Championship Standings to be updated at the end of the race weekend***

2025 F1 World Championship Standings