A Chaotic Start
As the lights went out at São Paulo, the front-runners held their positions through the opening corners. However, local hero Gabriel Bortoleto endured heartbreak, colliding with Lance Stroll and retiring before completing a single lap in front of his home crowd. The incident brought out the yellow flags immediately.
Moments later, Franco Colapinto and Lewis Hamilton made contact, damaging Hamilton’s Ferrari. The seven-time champion limped back to the pits and rejoined down in sixth before eventually falling further behind.
Early Chaos and Championship Tension
The restart only added to the drama. A three-way clash between Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, and Charles Leclerc saw the Monegasque retire, another major setback for Ferrari. The incident brought out the Virtual Safety Car, reshuffling the order and allowing Piastri to climb into second behind his McLaren teammate Norris.
When racing resumed, George Russell began his charge, overtaking both Racing Bulls drivers before dispatching Isack Hadjar to move into fourth place. Behind them, Oliver Bearman passed Liam Lawson to take sixth, while Verstappen, who had started from the pit lane, carved his way through the midfield, overtaking Hamilton with ease.
However, Piastri was later handed a 10-second penalty for his part in the earlier collision, a blow to his podium hopes.
Verstappen’s Rise Through the Field
As pit stops unfolded, the race order transformed. Verstappen’s pace was strong, and by the midway point, he had climbed into fourth place. Antonelli, meanwhile, maintained his composure to hold position ahead of the Red Bull driver.
When Norris made his first stop, he briefly rejoined between Antonelli and Verstappen but quickly reclaimed the advantage, using his soft tyres to full effect. By the closing stages, the McLaren driver was comfortably controlling the race at the front, while Verstappen continued his charge after a late pit stop for fresh soft tyres.
On lap 55, Verstappen emerged fourth, passing Russell in the final ten laps to secure third and close on Antonelli. The young Mercedes driver, however, held firm under immense pressure to secure a remarkable second place, just his second career podium in Formula 1.
Norris Triumphs in Brazil
After 71 laps of intense racing, Lando Norris took the chequered flag to seal another vital win in his pursuit of the World Championship. Antonelli’s second place confirmed his growing reputation as one of F1’s brightest prospects, while Verstappen’s comeback drive from the pit lane to third underlined his relentless determination.
For McLaren, the result was a statement of strength, another weekend of strategic mastery and race pace superiority that keeps them in control of both championships.
2025 São Paulo Grand Prix Race Results
1. Lando Norris – McLaren
2. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
4. George Russell – Mercedes
5. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
6. Oliver Bearman – Haas
7. Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls
8. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
9. Nico Hülkenberg – 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
DNF – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
DNF – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
DNF – Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
The battle for the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship continues — next stop: Las Vegas.
Catch the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix race highlights here.
