F1: 5 Things We Learned from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix

The McLaren driver won the Sprint and Grand Prix to take a maximum of 37 points away from Interlagos. However, the Driver of the Day award went to Max Verstappen, who finished on the podium after starting from the pit lane. More on that later.

Further down the grid, Oscar Piastri finished fifth after being penalised for a Turn 1 incident with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.

Let’s get into five talking points from the Sao Paulo GP weekend:

5 – Ferrari’s double DNF at Interlagos

The Italian outfit had a weekend to forget in Sao Paulo. Charles Leclerc finished fifth and Lewis Hamilton in seventh in the Sprint, and the GP was far worse. The Monegasque driver’s car was collateral damage in the lap nine, turn one incident that saw Oscar Piastri crash into Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton picked up damage to his front wing after a clash with Franco Colapinto. The seven-time world champion valiantly continued with a new front wing, but the SF-25 had too much floor damage, and he retired on lap 39.

4 – Antonelli claims best finish in F1 yet

The Italian rookie started on the front row and looked rapid all weekend. Two second-place finishes at Interlagos saw the 19-year-old grab 25 points. He showed a cool head to finish second in the GP, fending off a late challenge from Verstappen in the closing stages. “It was definitely the most complete weekend of the season so far,” he said.

3 – Piastri loses ground on Norris after poor weekend

The Australian hasn’t been on pace in the past few races. The McLaren driver has registered three consecutive fifth-place finishes and lost the driver’s title lead to his teammate. He qualified third for the Sprint, but suffered a DNF and managed fifth place in the GP due to a 10-second penalty. The 24-year-old locked up in Turn 1 and clattered into Antonelli in an attempt to take second place. “A tough afternoon. It was very eventful and just a shame that we didn’t get more out of it today. Ultimately disappointing, but we’ll reset before the final triple header,” he said.

2 – Does Norris have one hand on the title?

The Briton collected a seventh GP win of the season and opened up a 24-point lead over his teammate. He was flawless across the weekend, and his qualifying lap for the GP stands out as a highlight. Crucially, the McLaren driver has the momentum heading into the triple-header and will want to continue a run of four podium finishes to secure his first world title. “It was a great win, but to be honest, seeing how quick the competition was today, it’s clear we’ve still got work to do,” he said.

1 – Did Verstappen miss out on the race win?

The four-time champion’s weekend ended well, but it started miserably with a P6 finish in the Sprint and first-ever exit in Q1 on Saturday. Verstappen said the car felt ‘’terrible’’ and the team opted to make wholesale changes, including fitting a new power unit. That meant the Dutch driver started from the pit lane on Sunday and put in a performance for the ages. He went from pit lane to P3 in an amazing show of driving skill; he even led the race for a stint. “It’s an incredible result for us,” he remarked afterwards to F1.com