Lando Norris is watching him very closely now. The British driver extended his lead in the F1 World Championship after winning from start to finish at Interlagos, extending his lead over Oscar Piastri to 24 points in the overall standings with three races remaining. … point. The Australian has been in a free fall since his victory in Zandvoort at the end of August, but could only finish fifth this time. He took an unnecessary risk in seeking a head-to-head with his McLaren teammate and was compensated with a penalty for crashing into Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes. His option is to be the near-infallible driver of the first half of the season again, but he’s a long way from that version today. Antonelli resisted the initial shock and finished in second place, the best position of his still short career. The podium was achieved by Max Verstappen, who made another great comeback.
(F1 Brazilian Grand Prix results)
Despite the constant threat of rain that never came, Norris secured this new victory with a strong start from pole position, seventh on the course and avoiding a barrage of touches and accidents behind him. The first of these affected Gabriel Bortleto, the only Brazilian on the grid, as soon as the race started, causing him to drive towards the wall after touching the ground to avoid contact with Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. The Sauber crash not only decided the race, but also caused a crash in the stands and the safety car. At the restart, Kimi Antonelli was unable to defend his second grid position, allowing Piastri and Leclerc to stand next to him, parallel to the end of the straight, one on each side. This action led to carom. Piastri thought this was his chance to challenge Norris for the win, but he was too ambitious. Despite the McLaren applying frantic braking as it reached the apex, it made contact with the Mercedes, which bounced back and crashed into the Ferrari. Leclerc was at his worst. He lost his wheels and abandoned it. Lewis Hamilton also failed to finish, with his car damaged from the first lap due to contact with Sainz and Franco Colapinto. An unforgettable day in Maranello.
Piastri was found guilty of the collision with Antonelli and received a 10 second penalty at his first stop after approximately 35 laps. Thanks to it, he was able to control the disaster and avoid further losses.
While all this was happening, Verstappen was mounting a frantic comeback from pit lane, where the Dutchman had chosen to start the grand prix after his debacle in qualifying so he could change the engine, settings and feel of the car. The play became a sensation. A series of incidents on the first lap helped him, but he also had to face an unexpected additional stop due to a puncture. But the podiums we achieved would not have been possible without the tremendous talent and motivation we put into this work. It seems like something only the four-time champion can brag about today. He’s a great instigator.
Not much can be said about Alonso’s career. He chose to start on the hardest tires with the intention of making one stop, but quickly realized that was not the most correct strategy. After just 20 laps, the compound failed, forcing the Spaniard to change his strategy on the spot. By that time he had already lost several positions. He finished in 14th place.
It wasn’t a weekend for Sainz either, as he finished one place ahead of the two-time champion. After his first touch with Hamilton, he accelerated his options to move into the points, but the Spaniard lacked something he almost always had: more pace to fight in the middle zone.
About The Author
