Lando Norris maintains lead to win F1 Brazil GP sprint race from Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as Piastri crashes from third.
It was cloudy and damp to start F1 Brazil GP sprint at Interlagos, but everyone started on the slick compound. It was a clean one for McLaren’s Lando Norris on the medium tyre in the lead ahead of a soft-starter Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes car.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – on the medium – was almost squeezed by Antonelli into Turn 1 where they almost touched but maintained track position. Mercedes’ George Russell was fourth from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who managed to gain a place to be fifth on the soft compound.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was sixth defending from another soft-starter Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton, who took the outside line to make up three places in the points in eighth. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was ninth from Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg in the Top 10.
At the back, Haas’ Oliver Bearman and Visa Cash App RB’s Liam Lawson had a moment which led to a spin for the Brit. Bearman tried to get through Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, but dropped back which allowed Lawson to get beside him. He was pushed a bit on the grass but had the inside line.
As he tried to get ahead in the left-hander, the two touched with the move under investigation. Before they could get sorted, Piastri, Hulkenberg and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto crashed out at Turn 3. Replays showed the drivers dipping a wheel on the white line and wet kerb.
That led to a similar spin for all three, where Piastri and Colapinto stopped at the circuit. Hulkenberg lost his front wing, but managed to continue, as the sprint race was red-flagged for barrier repair at Turn 3. It was Norris still in the lead from Antonelli and Russell in the Top 3.
Verstappen was up to fourth from Alonso, Leclerc, Hamilton and Stroll in the Top 8 points places. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was just outside in ninth from Williams’ Alexander Albon. Replays showed Norris dipping a wheel at Turn 3 kerb but managing to continue after splashing water.
Post red flag –
It was a rolling start but the drivers switched around the tyre compounds, with Norris leading on the soft compound from medium runners Antonelli, Russell and Verstappen. It was a clean on from Norris to maintain his F1 Brazil GP sprint lead from a fighting Antonelli and Russell.
The Brit hustled his teammate but Antonelli kept second, as did Verstappen who had multiple moments which allowed Alonso a look-in on the soft tyre. This brought Leclerc and Hamilton in, but the Dutchman kept fourth, as did the Spaniard and Monegasque, with Stroll also in eighth.
It was steady but Norris started to struggle which allowed Antonelli to catch him and hustle him. Alonso, meanwhile, kept Leclerc at bay for long until the final few laps when the Monegasque finally got the chance to pass him after a lock-up for the Spaniard.
Gasly too managed to get through Stroll for the final point on the lap behind. It was a win for Norris in F1 Brazil GP sprint under double yellow flags, as he stretched a points lead against Piastri in the title battle. Antonelli had to be content for second, with Russell in third and Verstappen fourth.
Leclerc ended up fifth from Alonso, who managed to hold onto sixth from Hamilton with the yellow flag. Gasly took the final point in eighth from Stroll and Visa Cash App RB’s Isack Hadjar in the Top 10. It was a scary end after a huge crash for Bortoleto when trying to pass Albon at Turn 1.
He tried to pull out of the slipstream on the left to take the inside line, but slipped to hit the pitwall and cut across to hit the barrier at Turn 1 run-off on the right. He managed to escape hitting anyone, but his front-wing got stuck under the car of Albon, who was forced to pit at the end of the lap.
