The Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint race was filled with drama, crashes, and a significant shift in the championship battle. Lando Norris took the victory from pole position in a closely fought race. The win extended Norris's lead in the Drivers' Championship over his main rival and teammate, Oscar Piastri. The race was significantly impacted by tricky, damp track conditions, leading to multiple incidents and a red flag.
The most dramatic incident was Piastri losing control of his McLaren on the wet kerb at Turn 3 (Curva do Sol) and spinning into the barriers while running in P3. This was a major blow to his title challenge, dropping him further behind Lando Norris. Soon after Piastri's crash, Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) also lost control and crashed out at the very same corner due to the standing water on the kerb, leading to the red flag to repair the barrier and clear the debris.
The Sprint ended under double yellow flags following a heavy crash for home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) on the start-finish straight, though he fortunately reported that he was uninjured. Early on, there was contact between Oliver Bearman and Liam Lawson, resulting in a spin for Bearman. Both drivers received post-race time penalties for their actions.
True winners
The Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell showed impressive pace, with Antonelli putting Norris under significant pressure in the final laps, finishing less than a second behind. Max Verstappen gained two positions from his starting grid slot to finish 4th, minimizing the championship damage after admitting his Red Bull was struggling with bouncing and a lack of grip.
Leclerc started 8th and steadily climbed the order, particularly after the red flag restart. He spent a significant portion of the race bottled up behind Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin, rueing a lack of straight-line speed that made the overtake difficult. He eventually passed Alonso in the closing laps to secure P5, bringing home 4 valuable points. Hamilton made a great start from 11th on the grid, quickly gaining a few positions in the initial damp conditions. He drove a composed race to finish 7th, also making a net gain on his starting position and securing 2 points.
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