Formula 1 in Sao Paulo

Norris in the lead – Verstappen makes up places

Max Verstappen(Bild: AFP/MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL)

Lando Norris completed his superb weekend in Brazil with a Grand Prix victory on Sunday. Max Verstappen conjured up an incredible race to catch up on the asphalt: the world champion started from last place in the pit lane and finished third on the podium.

Norris, who had already won the sprint, extended his lead in the drivers' championship to a comfortable 24 points. Behind second-placed Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes was Max Verstappen. Starting from the pit lane, the defending champion in the Red Bull did some impressive damage limitation.

Here is the result in detail:

Verstappen's small chance of winning the world championship is probably gone for good, however, given his 49-point deficit. Three F1 stops - Las Vegas, Doha and Abu Dhabi - are still on the racing calendar this season. A maximum of 83 points are still up for grabs until the end of the season next month. This will be followed by the major rule reform.

Here is the standings in the drivers' championship:

Ferrari debacle
World championship runner-up Oscar Piastri in the McLaren finished fifth behind Mercedes man George Russell. Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull once again played no part (17th). For Ferrari, it was the third zero of the season. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both retired, leaving the Scuderia only fourth in the constructors' championship behind Red Bull Racing.

Although beaming with joy, Norris did not get carried away with a title announcement. "It was a perfect weekend," said the 25-year-old Englishman, emphasizing after his commanding start-finish victory: "I had to step on the gas." For most of the time, the now seven-time winner of the season managed his lead - seemingly effortlessly. For the seventh time in a row, the driver who started from pole position also celebrated the Grand Prix victory.

Antonelli kept Verstappen at bay
Verstappen had other things to do. After major set-up problems in qualifying, the car was retrofitted with a new turbocharger, among other things. Due to the infringement of the rules, he was only allowed to start behind the field from the pit lane - and once again launched a race to catch up. A year ago in Interlagos, he had already produced one of the most impressive drives in Formula 1 history with a charge from 17th on the grid to victory in a crazy rain race.

This time, Verstappen almost raced to second place. But while he overtook Russell at the finish to the cheers of the fans, his Mercedes colleague Antonelli defended his best career result like a young lion against the four-time world champion.