Lando Norris tightened his grip on the Formula One World Championship after winning a dramatic sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday — a race that saw his McLaren teammate and closest rival Oscar Piastri crash out in slippery conditions.
Norris crossed the finish line 0.845 seconds ahead of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, earning eight crucial points and extending his lead in the standings to nine points. The Brit now sits on 365 points, followed by Piastri on 356 and four-time world champion Max Verstappen on 326 after the Dutchman finished fourth.
Mercedes enjoyed a strong showing, with George Russell completing the podium in third, followed by Verstappen, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin rounding
out the top six.
The race was far from straightforward. Piastri, running third in the early stages, lost control at Curva do Sol on lap six, skidding into the barriers in treacherous, damp conditions. His crash also caught out Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto, both of whom followed his line and spun off moments later.
The incident brought out a safety car and subsequent red flag on lap eight as marshals repaired the damaged barriers. Piastri’s retirement marked his second straight sprint race without points, a damaging blow to his title hopes just two weeks after losing the championship lead in Mexico.
After a 24-minute delay, the race resumed behind the safety car, and Norris held firm under intense pressure from Antonelli to claim his third sprint victory of the season.
“It was tough,” Norris admitted. “Kimi didn’t make life easy for me, and the soft tyres were tricky to manage at the end. But it’s more rewarding to win like this.”
Antonelli, meanwhile, impressed once again in only his second sprint podium, saying: “It was a fun race in very tricky conditions. We tried to keep the pressure on, but Lando was just too strong.”
A late crash from Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto on the final lap capped a chaotic race at Interlagos, but Norris emerged unshaken, and firmly in control of the title fight.
(with AFP inputs)
