Lando Norris admitted he was “not proud” of the way he won Saturday’s sprint race in Brazil after McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri pulled aside with a few laps remaining to gift him the victory. But the Briton added that the team had done “what we had to do”.
Norris’ win allowed him to take one extra point out of Max Verstappen, who finished third, in the drivers’ championship. The McLaren driver now trails the Red Bull driver by 45 points ahead of Sunday’s grand prix, for which Verstappen will have a five-place grid penalty. But it was far from straightforward.
McLaren only just managed to switch their drivers before a late virtual safety car (VSC) was deployed following Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s retirement. The timing of that safety car also raised a few eyebrows, right after McLaren’s switch and as Verstappen was closing on Piastri to try to take second place. RB’s Liam Lawson described it as “unbelievable”.
It might yet get worse for Verstappen, who is the subject of a stewards’ investigation into his driving behind the safety car. The Dutch driver, who criticised the driving of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc during the race, lamenting the Monegasque’s “many mistakes” before eventually passing him on lap 18, was clearly exasperated by the timing of the VSC, asking his team to check that Piastri was not “driving slow on purpose”. He made one big acceleration behind him at one point.
In the end, Verstappen had one lap in which to pass Piastri after the VSC was withdrawn, but failed to do so.
The main talking point of the race, though, was McLaren’s team orders. Piastri had told Telegraph Sport on Friday that he would pull over if asked by his team to do so, and the Australian was as good as his word. Albeit McLaren missed the chance to do it earlier in the race, when Verstappen and Leclerc were busy with each other.
There would have been questions asked had they failed to engineer the win for their leading driver.
“We spoke about it before the race, when we were going to swap,” Piastri said later. “We pulled it off as well as we could.
“I mean, it’s not as fun as winning. But I know the position we’re in. We’ve talked about it for months now. It’s the first time we’ve had to enforce it. But we knew it was something that could or would happen at some point.”
Norris, who went over to thank his team-mate after getting out of his car, admitted it was not the way he wanted to win.
“Yep, not proud about it. But we worked well as a team. Oscar deserved it. But we did what we had to do. I thank the team and we had good pace so it bodes well for tomorrow.”
03:20 PM GMT
It doesn’t look like any decision is imminent
Though Verstappen has just been spotted heading to the stewards, it seems. In any case, with only a point likely at stake we will leave you for now and return at around 5pm GMT ahead of qualifying for the main grand prix.
03:14 PM GMT
A bit more analysis from Sky on the Verstappen incident
03:04 PM GMT
There is no specific word from the FIA yet…
…on what Verstappen’s infringement was. It does seem likely to be that incident with Piastri, though. As I said if it’s a five-second time penalty that is only enough to drop him back one place and thus one point.
02:59 PM GMT
Zak Brown is pleased
No driver likes handing positions over to his team-mate. I think the start of next year it will be fascinating to see which McLaren driver asserts his authority over the other. Of course it could just be very close again. The pair are very closely matched.
02:56 PM GMT
Updated constructor standings
02:53 PM GMT
Updated driver standings
02:48 PM GMT
Christian Horner speaks
“On everything we can see it looks OK but let’s see. He was just conscious that there wasn’t a gap, that Oscar wasn’t dropping back from Lando. I think the most encouraging thing for us in that race was the race pace was decent… to stick on the tail of Charles was encouraging.”
02:42 PM GMT
Norris speaks after his sprint win
“Not proud about it but we worked well as a team together, that’s why I thank Oscar. Oscar deserved it but, yeah, we did what we had to do. It’s tough, it was yo-yoing a little bit… it’s just the dirty air here costs you a lot of lap time. I felt a bit quicker but I couldn’t pass at the time. We executed it well.”
02:41 PM GMT
Piastri after his second place
“It was a bit tricky to be honest. Very bumpy as we know. The racing line was incredibly narrow… a great day from the team and a lot of points. I think we learnt a lot for the race tomorrow as well. Yeah, happy. I think the pace looked OK but the Ferrari was very quick at the start and Max was very quick at the end.”
02:40 PM GMT
Verstappen speaks
“Yeah, it was quite a tricky race but I think the pace was very good because we could always follow the DRS. It took a bit too long for Charles… I had to wait for some mistakes and I could use that to my advantage. Today was good. I still expect them to be really quick over one lap but I hope we can limit the damage a bit with of course the five-place grid penalty that I have.”
02:38 PM GMT
VERSTAPPEN UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR VSC INFRINGEMENT
Hmmmm. He did get very close to Piastri as the VSC ended. Did he try to anticpate when it was going to end and came a cropper? It has been sent to the stewards and not just noted which kind of leans towards that it could be black and white. A five-second penalty would drop him just one place.
This is the moment that could be critical:
You see him pull almost level (well, front wheel to rear wheel) before backing off just as the VSC begins.
02:37 PM GMT
Brazil GP sprint classification, top eight
All these drivers scored points:
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NOR 8pts
-
PIA 7pts
-
VER 6pts
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LEC 5pts
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SAI 4pts
-
RUS 3pts
-
GAS 2pts
-
PER 1pts
02:36 PM GMT
Piastri on the radio
David Croft on Sky Sports says he can hear the disappointment in his voice. I think he sounds like that when he wins or takes pole, though, too?
02:35 PM GMT
LANDO NORRIS WINS THE BRAZIL SPRINT RACE
It’s a 1-2 for McLaren. Norris leads home Piastri with Verstappen third. It’s two points gained for Lando Norris which is something. Not as much as he’d have hoped, perhaps but that’s good. Down to 45 points now. Lead extended for McLaren over Ferrari in the standings. And no team orders issues. Well, that we know of.
02:34 PM GMT
FINAL LAP
Verstappen nearly gets Piastri as the VSC period ends! They came very close at turn four. Will he get another chance as they dash to the line? It could be close if he gets DRS, which it looks like he will. Norris will win this easily. Has Piastri got the pace to keep Verstappen at bay? Yes he has.
02:32 PM GMT
Lap 23 of 24 – VSC
That Haas is not in a great position. McLaren were decisive in switching their cars there. It could have all gone wrong. Verstappen questions whether Piastri is going too slowly. The thing under the VSC is that you have to meet a minimum and maximum time. The track is clear and the VSC will be ending soon with less than a lap to go…
02:31 PM GMT
Lap 22 of 24 – Norris is given the lead
Piastri moves over at turn four as the call came to switch positions. Norris takes the lead but Verstappen is right on the back of Piastri now…
Verstappen just gets a bit of a wiggle on the exit of the penultimate turn… and out comes the VSC which helps Piastri, Norris and McLaren.
02:30 PM GMT
Lap 21 of 24 – Yellow flags
Nico Hulkenberg is out of the sprint. He has parked up by the side of the track. If there’s a Safety Car that’s a problem for McLaren because they then cannot switch positions. Verstappen 1.2sec behind Norris.
02:28 PM GMT
Lap 20 of 24 – Perez gets Lawson for eighth
He does it at turn one, clean as you like. That’s something. Some blueish smoke coming out of the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg? He has dropped down massively here. Yeah, he’s slowing down.
02:27 PM GMT
Lap 19 of 24 – Verstappen gets a message
“Come on mate, let’s chase ‘em down”.
1.4sec the gap from Norris to Verstappen. Replays show Norris getting a bit sideways at turn five, I think. Piastri has extended his lead again to nearly one second…
02:25 PM GMT
Lap 18 of 24 – Verstappen makes his move on Leclerc
He goes around the outside of turn four! Leclerc just didn’t have the pace by that point. Ferrari struggling, really. Can Verstappen charge at the McLarens now?
02:24 PM GMT
Lap 17 of 24 – Lawson holding off Perez for P8
There is now a 1.7sec gap between Norris in second and Leclerc in third. Leclerc has a lot of pressure from Verstappen behind. Can Verstappen make the critical move in the next few laps?
02:23 PM GMT
Lap 16 of 24 – Verstappen makes a mistake
Another lap will go by with no chance to overtake.
McLaren told that, with the gap to Leclerc as it is, they will wait until the last lap to swap positions.
02:22 PM GMT
Lap 15 of 24 – Leclerc back within DRS range of Norris
Well, pretty much. Hamilton still down in 14th behind Colapinto. He’s been there since the end of lap one.
Leclerc in trouble here. Running out of battery in defence.
02:21 PM GMT
Lap 14 of 24 – Piastri leads Norris by 0.5sec
Verstappen isn’t close enough this time to consider a move on Leclerc.
02:20 PM GMT
Lap 13 of 24 – Verstappen as close as he has been to Leclerc
He is right on Leclerc’s rear wing on the second straight. He thinks about the move but is patient and calls it off. The McLarens are closer and perhaps this is the moment to switch them. The gap has opened up between Norris in second and Leclerc.
02:18 PM GMT
Lap 12 of 24 – Piastri leads Norris by 0.8sec
Here is the top eight and gaps between them,
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PIA
-
NOR +0.7
-
LEC +1.4
-
VER 1.8
-
SAI +5.5
-
RUS +9.6
-
GAS +13.2
-
LAW +14.3
02:17 PM GMT
Lap 11 of 24 – Sainz in fifth is some way behind the top four
Russell is further behind still. Bearman is now in ninth, chasing Lawson for that final point. He executed a superb move on team-mate Nico Hulkenberg at turn one.
That said, Perez has now just passed Bearman and now the Mexican is chasing Lawson.
02:16 PM GMT
Lap 10 of 24 – Piastri has a message from McLaren
“Give Lando DRS,” is the order. It’s all very close out there… Norris still in second.
02:15 PM GMT
Lap 9 of 24 – Norris back within a second of leader Piastri
In fact all top four cars within 2.1sec. Good stuff, this.
02:14 PM GMT
Lap 8 of 24 – Piastri leads Norris by 1.4sec
Norris told “keep doing what you’re doing”. “Yeah… whatever,” he says in reply. I mean, it’s a bit confusing if this is the approach from McLaren. Problem is no way now can McLaren switch positions. Piastri would be eaten up and McLaren have a constructors’ title to fight.
02:13 PM GMT
Lap 7 of 24 – Norris is a bit confused
“I’m not really sure what I’m doing here,” he says, hinting that they talked about something earlier. Tactics and if/when Piastri would cede position. Norris makes a bit of a mistake towards the end of the lap which pulls Leclerc and Verstappen closer…
02:12 PM GMT
Lap 6 of 24 – Norris told to keep an eye on Leclerc behind
Norris extends his advantage over the Ferrari driver slightly. Verstappen has found a bit of pace here…
02:11 PM GMT
Lap 5 of 24 – Leclerc within DRS range of Norris
“Yeah, I’m close,” Norris says. The official timing app says it’s raining trackside but I can’t see where, exactly. In any case it is not significant.
Norris has DRS on Piastri, Leclerc is close to it on Norris ahead and Verstappen is now within DRS of Leclerc.
02:08 PM GMT
Lap 4 of 24 – Top eight
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PIA
-
NOR
-
LEC
-
VER
-
SAI
-
RUS
-
GAS
-
LAW
Hulkenberg and Bearman in ninth and 10th. Hamilton still down in 14th.
02:08 PM GMT
Lap 3 of 24 – Verstappen has to remain patient
Verstappen tries the outside line but Leclerc covers the inside. He then has a look at the inside at turn four but doesn’t fully commit as Leclerc chops across him. Norris has just set the fastest lap of the race out from second. Verstappen is told to “take his time” and that “you know the game”. Leclerc sets the fastest lap which aids his attempt for third.
02:06 PM GMT
Lap 2 of 24 – Piastri leads Norris by 0.6sec
Verstappen has DRS down the back straight but isn’t close enough to try a move on Leclerc at turn four. McLaren are starting to edge clearly ahead of the rest of the pack. Verstappen getting close and closer…
02:05 PM GMT
THE SAO PAULO SPRINT RACE IS GO!
Piastri keeps his lead at turn one despite a good start from Norris, moving across to defend the inside line from his McLaren team-mate. Verstappen is all over the back of Leclerc at the start of the lap. Hamilton down three places already…
Bearman dropped back a place but regains it from Albon to get into the top 10. Leclerc under big pressure from Verstappen. No DRS yet, though.
02:02 PM GMT
Starting tyre types
No surprise to see everyone starting on mediums.
02:00 PM GMT
Starting grid
2. NOR 1. PIA
4. VER 3. LEC
6. RUS 5. SAI
8. LAW 7. GAS
10. BEA 9. ALB
12. HUL 11. HAM
14. COL 13. PER
16. OCO 15. BOT
17. TSU
PIT LANE: ALO, STR, ZHO
01:55 PM GMT
F1 constructor standings
McLaren have looked strong so far. I guess the saving grace for Ferrari is that they can change their set-ups between now and qualifying, they are not locked into them as they were before. Still, you would have expected McLaren to be strong on this configuration.
01:51 PM GMT
Verstappen speaks before the sprint race and where he might finish
“It depends on our pace, over one lap we were too slow. I am hoping we can be competitive now in the sprint.”
01:48 PM GMT
Piastri: I would sacrifice a win to help Lando Norris’ title bid – but only if McLaren asked
Unassuming Australian driver, who could play a major part in who wins the world championship, believes he can get even better. Read his exclusive interview with Tom Cary here.
01:48 PM GMT
Current F1 driver standings
01:47 PM GMT
Wonder if we will see any racing penalties being given in this race
I would suspect there will be a few investigations as this track layout promotes it, especially at turn four. We saw Alonso and Perez have a ding-dong battle there last year.
01:42 PM GMT
Some pit lane starts today
01:40 PM GMT
Weather forecast
Looks like there is a chance of light showers throughout the day, with the greatest chance between 11am and noon local time and the race begins at 11am…
01:35 PM GMT
Current driver qualifying head to heads
It seems amazing that Perez even has one against Verstappen. Piastri’s sprint pole comes very much against the grain at McLaren. Oliver Bearman is doing a sterling job at Haas. This will be his second race for the team and both times he has qualified higher than Nico Hulkenberg, who is a fine driver over one lap himself.
01:27 PM GMT
Hamilton has had enough of this Mercedes
He qualified 11th yesterday and was asked whether he had any hopes of improvement in the sprint, grand prix qualifying and the main race.
“It will be what it will be. I’m not really massively bothered if I’m honest,” he replied. That probably just about sums up his year. It has not been a good one and now he trails Russell 19-6 in all qualifying formats in 2024. Ouch. Still, he is moving to Ferrari next year…
01:15 PM GMT
Another disappointing day for Sergio Perez
There have been many of them this season. He did at least make it out of SQ1 but 13th is hardly the type of performance that will see Red Bull keep faith with him. Unless he dramatically turns around his form in the next four races, finishing perhaps directly behind Max Verstappen each time, then he is surely not going to be racing in that Red Bull seat in 2025. And probably not in F1 at all, either.
That would be a sad end to a fine career for the Mexican. He was for a while – probably between 2021 until perhaps mid-way through 2023 – the perfect second driver at Red Bull. But now his poor form, with just one sixth place his best finish since Miami, is costing the team. By putting Liam Lawson alongside Verstappen next year they have nothing to lose.
01:09 PM GMT
News: Bearman to replace Magnussen for the rest of weekend
Oliver Bearman – who will race for Haas in 2025 – was drafted in as Kevin Magnussen’s replacement at Haas yesterday. The initial plan was to have him take part in the sprint qualifying and the sprint today with the hope that the Dane would be fit enough to do main qualifying and the race tomorrow.
However that is not the case so Bearman will do the whole weekend, his second for Haas and third of the year after deputising for Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia this spring. He has been very quick so far and could arguably be starting higher than 10th in the sprint, but for a mistake early in his lap.
01:02 PM GMT
Times after sprint qualifying
-
Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1min 08.899secs
-
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:08.928
-
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:09.153
-
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:09.219
-
Carlos Sainz Jr (Spa) Ferrari 1:09.257
-
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:09.443
-
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:09.622
-
Liam Lawson (Nzl) RB 1:09.941
-
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:10.078
-
Oliver Bearman (Gbr) Haas F1 No Time Set
-
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:09.941
-
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 1:09.964
-
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:10.024
-
Franco Colapinto (Arg) Williams 1:10.275
-
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Kick Sauber 1:10.595
-
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:10.978
-
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:11.052
-
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) RB 1:11.121
-
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:11.280
-
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Kick Sauber 1:12.978
11:57 AM GMT
A good day of action in store for us at Interlagos
Welcome to our coverage for F1’s super saturday with the sprint race of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil coming up first, and qualifying for Sunday’s main race later this evening. Interlagos is the only track that has held a sprint race every year since their inception and it just makes sense. It’s a great track that promotes overtaking and can even encourage the odd mistake. Plus the weather can often play a part at this time of year.
What have we got in store for us today? Well, the McLaren looked the class of the field yesterday in sprint qualifying. Lando Norris looked to be nailed on for pole position but it was his team-mate Oscar Piastri who snuck in at the end of SQ3 and pipped him to pole position. Norris’s championship rival Max Verstappen put in a decent lap but one that was good enough for fourth. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, with team-mate Carlos Sainz in fifth and George Russell sixth.
With a 47-point championship deficit, this weekend’s format (with eight points available for the sprint race winner and one for the eighth-placed driver) gives Norris an opportunity to significantly close that gap. Or at least two opportunities to close it a little bit each time. A realistic outcome this weekend going on what we have seen is Norris winning the sprint and Verstappen finishing fourth, which would narrow the lead by three points.
On Sunday, well that is more uncertain, but Norris winning and Verstappen finishing fourth again would see Norris take out 13 points (or 14 or 12 depending on where the fastest lap point goes), which would reduce the deficit to just 31 in total with three rounds and one sprint to go. These two things happening are far from certain, but if it were to happen then you feel like talking about Norris’s championship hopes feels a little more solid.
It would be nice for it to go down to the last race for the first time since 2021, though that could still happen with Verstappen carrying a significant advantage.
The sprint race gets under way at 2pm GMT and we will be here for all of the updates before qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix starts at 6pm.