Lando Norris wins the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and remains in the lead. Bortleto crashes on the first lap

After a perfect weekend, McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Sao Paulo F1 Grand Prix held at Interlagos Racecourse this Sunday (9th). By the end of Saturday’s qualifying session, he had already won the sprint race and secured pole position. With this victory, the British player reached 380 points and extended his advantage over teammate Oscar Piastri (366 points), who finished second overall. Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, the difference between the two was nine points.

– The team did a great job and provided me with a great car. We work hard every weekend and off the track. It’s challenging, it’s rewarding. This is certainly not easy – says the Interlagos winner.

Second place in Sao Paulo was Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), who made a brilliant recovery run to fend off the attack of third place Max Verstappen (RBR). Fourth place went to George Russell (Mercedes), fifth place went to Piastri.

After the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which saw a record attendance of 303,627 over three days, the 2025 F1 season will have three stages remaining – Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi – with a total of 78 points to be contested.

– Interlagos F1: Pilots recorded messages in Portuguese and wore national team shirts and Brazilian flags

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Bortleto crashes on the first lap

Gabriel Bortleto crashes on the first lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix and leaves the race — Photo: Reproduction /X / F1

Sauber’s Gabriel Bortleto started from the pits after crashing in Saturday’s sprint race, but his dream of racing at home was fulfilled after just one lap. Shortly after the start of the GP, the Brazilian made contact with Lance Stroll of the Aston Martin team, crashing into the wall and abandoning the race. On the radio, the rookie complained about the way the Canadian player touched the car.

– Stroll kicked me out and he looked back as if I wasn’t there – Bortleto told Sauber.

Earlier, the Brazilian pilot said he had recovered well from the previous day’s accident. On the final lap of the sprint, while trying to overtake him, he hit a wall and ended up on the other side of the track.

– Thank you for your messages and concerns after yesterday’s attack. It was really scary, but luckily I survived the accident. I tried to overtake, but the first attempt was successful and I was feeling confident so I thought I had to try again, Gabriel said at Interlagos on Sunday morning, before the main race.

Another person who did not finish the Sao Paulo Grand Prix was Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who was involved in a collision with Franco Colapinto shortly after the start.

Verstappen starts from the pits

RBR’s Dutchman Max Verstappen, who qualified 16th on the starting grid for the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, left the pits this Sunday after making modifications to his car.

Dissatisfied with the car’s performance, particularly the lack of grip on Saturday, the four-time world champion, who is not yet out of title contention, opted to replace some parts in an attempt to make amends.

The strategy worked and he finished the race in third place.

Hours before the race, British driver Lewis Hamilton, who wore a Brazilian-coloured helmet, made a new comment about the country upon arriving at Interlagos. The Ferrari driver, who had the national flag printed on his jacket, walked with the flag dangling from his waist. And he wasn’t the only “Brazilian” to arrive at this afternoon’s race.

Hamilton’s compatriot Olly Bearman, 20, was wearing a Brazil team shirt. His team, Haas, also joined in on the fun, giving their driver the nickname Bear Conaldo after Ronaldo, while his French teammate Esteban Ocon was given the nickname Ocondinho.

Meanwhile, Mercedes had starting drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as well as reserve driver Valtteri Bottas, announce in Portuguese, “It’s race day” in a video released in the morning.