McLaren’s Lando Norris tightened his grip on the Formula One championship with a dominant victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, while teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri’s 10-second penalty once again kept him off the podium.
Fresh off a sprint race win and starting from pole, Norris delivered a flawless drive to claim his first-ever triumph at Interlagos, finishing ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The Briton, who also won the Mexican Grand Prix on Oct. 26, now leads the standings with 390 points — 24 clear of Piastri, who finished fifth — with only three races remaining. Norris had arrived in São Paulo with a one-point edge and extended it to nine after Saturday’s sprint before Sunday’s emphatic performance widened the gap further.
Despite his growing advantage, Norris downplayed talk of having one hand on the trophy. “I don’t feel like I’m in a commanding position,” he said. “It was just another weekend of trying to win and score as many points as possible.”
Piastri has struggled lately; he is now winless in six races and has not reached the podium since Monza in Italy two months ago when he finished third.
Four-time world champion Verstappen has 341 points in third place overall and has played down his title chances.
It was a frustrating weekend for Ferrari drivers. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both failed to finished the race in Sao Paulo.
"It is a nightmare,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. "It is a flip between the dream of driving for this amazing team and then the nightmare of the results."
Norris won his seventh race of the season, the same number as Piastri. Asked after the race how he managed to bounce back in the championship, Norris replied: "Just ignore everyone who talked crap about you.”
He added, "Still a long way to go (in the drivers' championship), this could change so quickly.”
Piastri's chances were hurt shortly after lap 8, when he made contact with Antonelli as they fought for second position. Piastri pushed the Mercedes driver into Leclerc, who was forced to retire as a result. Piastri, who started the race in fourth spot, later received his time penalty for causing the collision.
"In my opinion, I had a very clear opportunity in the inside,” said Piastri, who argued he couldn't have gone anywhere else when the contact took place. "I can’t just disappear.”
The next Grand Prix is in Las Vegas in two weeks' time. Norris said he is not confident he and McLaren will compete for a win there.
"It was our worst race last year. I can't say I am looking forward to it,” Norris said.
The 25-year-old Englishman dedicated his win to Indianapolis 500 winner and Brazilian icon Gil de Ferran, who died in 2023.
"This one was for Gil, one of my mentors ... This one was for him. I’m sure he’d be very proud of it all," Norris said. "I was thinking of that while driving. A perfect weekend.”
Verstappen, who also has a long shot at the drivers' title, finished on the podium from the pit lane.
He was supposed to start from 16th position after a frustrating qualifying session, but his team made sweeping changes to his car, including a new engine. The team's move eventually paid off.
"To be in the podium from the pit lane, I didn’t expect that at all. Even less after a puncture at the start,” said Verstappen, who won last year's race starting from 17th.
A relaxed Verstappen poured Champagne over Antonelli on the podium. The 19-year-old Antonelli had the best result of his career after a battle with the Dutchman on the final lap to keep his position.
"I don't know where this guy came from,” the Italian jokingly said after the race.
Brazilian fans at Interlagos were frustrated from lap one, when Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto crashed out in what looked to be a promising outing after he overtook three rivals in quick succession.
The 21-year-old F1 rookie was the first Brazilian to race in front of home fans since Felipe Massa in 2017.
