Verstappen climbs from pit lane to podium in Brazil; Norris extends world championship lead

Lando Norris secured his seventh win of 2025 at the São Paulo Grand Prix and extended his championship lead to 24 points over Oscar Piastri. Kimi Antonelli achieved his first podium by finishing second. Max Verstappen claimed third place after starting from the pitlane.

Norris controlled the race from pole position and won with a 10-second advantage. Verstappen started from the pitlane due to qualifying issues where he finished 16th, and staged a remarkable comeback to the podium.

Photo By Mclaren

Bortoleto Crashes Out in Home Race

Gabriel Bortoleto saw his home race participation end on the second lap when he lost control at turn 7 after contact with Lance Stroll. Bortoleto hit the barriers, bringing out the safety car on his home debut.

Piastri Causes Leclerc's Elimination

The safety car restart created chaos when Piastri attempted to pass both Antonelli and Charles Leclerc simultaneously at turn 1. Piastri braked late, touched the Mercedes and triggered a chain reaction that sent Leclerc into the barriers with irreparable damage.

The stewards penalized Piastri with 10 seconds for the incident that eliminated the Ferrari from the Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc retired with severe damage to his car, including the loss of the front wing and a wheel.

Photo By Mclaren

Hamilton Retires with Floor Damage on Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton also faced early problems when he damaged his front wing through contact with Franco Colapinto on the main straight. The stewards gave him a five-second penalty for the incident, but Hamilton subsequently retired mid-race due to floor damage on his Ferrari.

Verstappen Fights Back from 20th with Three-Stop Strategy

Max Verstappen transformed a disastrous start into a memorable recovery. He started from the pitlane after qualifying 16th on Saturday, automatically dropping to last position due to technical changes on his Red Bull RB21.

A puncture on the front right tyre during the virtual safety car forced an extra stop, but the team used the neutralization to fit fresh medium tyres. The RB21 performed considerably better than in qualifying, allowing him to systematically overtake until threatening for the lead. On lap 63 he passed George Russell and then intensely pursued Antonelli, though he ran out of laps to attempt a pass for second place.

Antonelli Withstands Verstappen's Late Attacks

Kimi Antonelli withstood the pressure in the final laps to maintain second place and celebrate his first F1 podium. George Russell finished fourth, ahead of Piastri who paid dearly for his early incident by serving the 10-second penalty and finishing fifth.

Photo By Mclaren

Racing Bulls and Haas Score Important Points

Oliver Bearman continued his strong form with Haas by securing sixth place and collecting eight crucial points for the constructors' championship. Racing Bulls placed both cars in the points with Liam Lawson seventh and Isack Hadjar eighth.

Lawson lost performance in the final laps due to his attempt to complete the race with just one stop. Nico Hülkenberg scored two points for Kick Sauber in ninth place, with Pierre Gasly rounding out the points for Alpine in tenth.

São Paulo Grand Prix 2025 Results

Pos	Nº	Driver	Team	Interval
1	#4	Lando Norris	McLaren	-
2	#12	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+-65.624s
3	#1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+3.988s
4	#63	George Russell	Mercedes	+-60.445s
5	#81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+58.979s
6	#87	Oliver Bearman	Haas F1 Team	+23.656s
7	#30	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+47.893s
8	#6	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+32.007s
9	#27	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	+47.796s
10	#10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+25.662s
11	#23	Alexander Albon	Williams	+48.915s
12	#31	Esteban Ocon	Haas F1 Team	+41.663s
13	#55	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+28.514s
14	#14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+48.199s
15	#43	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+46.969s
16	#18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+49.516s
17	#22	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull Racing	+58.696s
DNF	#44	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	-
DNF	#16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	-
DNF	#5	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	-

Mercedes Consolidates in Constructors'; Ferrari Loses Ground

The victory in São Paulo puts Norris 24 points ahead of Piastri in the overall standings. Verstappen sits 49 points from the lead, maintaining mathematical but increasingly slim chances to defend his title with only three Grands Prix remaining in Las Vegas, Qatar and the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari failed to score points for the second consecutive weekend due to the double retirement. Mercedes took advantage to consolidate their second position in the constructors' championship with a 58-point lead over the Italian team, a difference that appears decisive with three rounds remaining.

McLaren has already secured the constructors' championship with 623 points. Mercedes capitalized on Ferrari's double retirement to consolidate their second position with 565 points, increasing their lead to 58 units over the Italian team (507 points). Red Bull Racing occupies fourth position with 456 points.

Yuki Tsunoda received two penalties: 10 seconds for colliding with Stroll and another 10 seconds for not correctly serving the first sanction. He finished last among the classified drivers in P17.