SAO PAULO, Brazil — Lando Norris has further extended his championship lead after claiming victory in a gripping Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.
The McLaren driver led Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli home, while Max Verstappen put in a remarkable comeback to finish on the podium after starting the race from the pit lane.
Norris also won the pole for the Sprint Race and converted to a victory in the Saturday morning event.
Norris, who won the pole later on Saturday, led Sunday’s race early amid a hectic first few laps, with a Safety Car being deployed following a crash into the barriers for Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto at the Brazilian’s home race.
A Virtual Safety Car was then deployed after the restart due to another incident in which Oscar Piastri locked up and hit Antonelli, sending the Mercedes into Charles Leclerc who was forced to retire his damaged Ferrari from the race as a result.
Piastri subsequently received a 10-second time penalty for that collision in a race that saw a fascinating array of strategies play out – one of which involved Verstappen, who bounced back from an early puncture to climb his way through the order and challenge the frontrunners as the Grand Prix headed towards a thrilling climax.
While Norris crossed the line with a 10-second lead to clinch his seventh Grand Prix win of the season, a nail-biting duel played out behind between Antonelli and Verstappen for second place. Antonelli ultimately held on to claim a career-best finish, while Verstappen’s impressive afternoon ended third.
The other Mercedes of George Russell was also under pressure from Piastri as the race headed towards its finish, but managed to keep the McLaren at bay to take fourth, with Piastri having to settle for fifth.
Norris extended his championship lead to 24 points over Piastri.
“It’s a great win, but to be honest, seeing how quick Max was today I’m pretty disappointed that we weren’t quicker,” he explained. “That’s where my mind is at the minute. I’m probably going to see the team, congratulate them and see where we weren’t quick enough.
“That’s me, we’ll see what we can do. It’s not a long way to go but I’m just focused on myself – keep my head down, ignore everyone and keep pushing.
“The team are doing an amazing job giving me a great car. We’re pushing hard every single weekend and I’m pushing hard away from the track. It’s rewarding. It doesn’t come easy, that’s for sure. To be honest, I don’t think we were the quickest out there on track today but I’m glad to take home the win.”
