Formula 1: Lando Norris opens up 24-point lead on Oscar Piastri with win in Brazil
- - Formula 1: Lando Norris opens up 24-point lead on Oscar Piastri with win in Brazil
Nick Bromberg November 10, 2025 at 3:31 AM
0
Lando Norris now has a 24-point lead over Oscar Piastri in the Formula 1 title race (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) (Mark Thompson via Getty Images)
Lando Norris extended his title lead over Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen as Verstappen finished third after starting from the pit lane at the São Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday.
Norris won from pole as Kimi Antonelli held off Verstappen for second. Piastri finished fifth behind George Russell after he had to serve a 10-second penalty for causing a collision that ended up taking out Charles Leclerc on an early restart.
Norris’ lead over his McLaren teammate Piastri is now 24 points with three Grands Prix and a sprint race to go in the 2025 season. Piastri entered the weekend down a point to Norris, but he crashed out of Saturday’s sprint race while Norris scored eight points with the win.
Verstappen is 49 points behind Norris in third in the standings. He nearly became just the third driver ever, along with Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell, to finish second after starting from the pit lane.
Verstappen had qualified 16th and was eliminated in the first qualifying session. Instead of keeping his grid spot, Red Bull elected to change his engine and make changes to the car to necessitate a pit lane start. Per F1 rules, teams can make only minimal changes to cars between qualifying and the Grand Prix, and still keep their starting position.
Piastri had hit Antonelli entering Turn 1 on a restart after Gabriel Bortoleto’s opening-lap crash. Piastri went three-wide for second from fourth and locked his front brakes. He collided with Antonelli, who then bounced hard enough into Leclerc to break Leclerc’s left-front wheel.
Could Piastri have kept pace with Norris without the penalty? Possibly. He likely would have finished second behind Norris and would trail by 16 points by scoring 18 points instead of 10 to Norris' 25.
Instead, the weekend turned out to be what could keep Piastri from his first championship. He clipped a curb on a wet track in the sprint and went sliding into the wall. Instead of losing just a few points to Norris in the sprint race, he lost eight and now is nearly a full Grand Prix's worth of points behind.
With Leclerc crashing out, Ferrari didn't score a single point after a disastrous first lap for Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton got bumped by Carlos Sainz in Turn 1 after starting 13th and then misjudged a pass attempt on Franco Colapinto that broke off his front wing and caused significant damage to the underside of the car.
Ferrari entered the race six points back of Mercedes for second in the constructors' standings. Now, Mercedes is up 36 points on Ferrari, while Red Bull has a four-point lead on the Scuderia in third.
São Paulo Grand Prix results
1. Lando Norris, McLaren
2. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4. George Russell, Mercedes
5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
6. Ollie Bearman, Haas
7. Liam Lawson, RB
8. Isack Hadjar, RB
9. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
10. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
11. Alex Albon, Williams
12. Esteban Ocon, Haas
13. Carlos Sainz, Williams
14. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
15. Franco Colapinto, Alpine
16. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
17. Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
Not classified: Charles Leclerc, Ferrari; Lewis Hamilton; Ferrari, Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
Source: “AOL Sports”
