Key events
“I’ll try and make it entertaining,” Oscar Piastri tells Martin with a grin which suggests he’s not feeling the pressure. Perhaps doing the chasing in the title battle will take a weight off his shoulders?
“A bit of mist in the air – it’s a British autumn day out there,” says Oliver Bearman, who will start in eighth.
Martin Brundle is doing his grid walk – quizzing people about what they think the weather will do today like a True Brit. Billy Idol and Seb Vettel are duly collared. Now he’s talking to Linkin Park. Not sure any of these people are trained meteorologists, but it’s all good.
A note to say Max Verstappen is starting this race from the pit lane: he’s taken a new engine, hence the penalty. Red Bull clearly rolling the dice here, anything to try and give their driver a boost – not much of a disadvantage, seeing as he was set to start in 16th.
I know what everyone is really talking about this weekend: the constructors’ championship!
1) McLaren 721pts
2) Mercedes 368pts
3) Ferrari 362pts
4) Red Bull 351pts
5) Williams 111pts
6) Racing Bulls 72pts
7) Aston Martin 72pts
8) Haas 62pts
9) Sauber 60pts
10) Alpine 21pts
… OK, maybe not, with McLaren boasting a (*crunches numbers*) million-point lead. But look how tight the battle for third is between three teams! Plus there’s an even tighter four-way tussle for sixth … no? You’re still more interested in the drivers’ title? So be it.
Lewis Hamilton has a brief lock up; nothing dramatic but that could well be the sign of a slightly slippery track. The skies look a bit ominous (or hopeful, depending on your view) – they will all start on dry tyres. But, well, let’s see if that lasts.
The drivers are out, getting a feel for the track today. They’re all on dry tyres, not nearly damp enough for anything else, but there is drizzle in the air and a few ponchos in the crowd in Brazil. Interesting.
Drivers’ championship standings:
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Lando Norris (McLaren) 365pts
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 356pts
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 326pts
A reminder that Norris – who seems to have all the momentum – is only one result away from ceding the title lead back to his teammate. (Or from Verstappen closing right up on him, if Red Bull can find the balance/pace they seemed to have just a couple of races ago.)
There are speckles of rain in São Paulo – is the rain dance being performed (probably) by Red Bull/Max Verstappen working? We shall see, the forecast isn’t for a downpour like last year. But any rain will be welcomed by Verstappen – even if the McLarens have actually performed very well in the wet this year.
Qualifying standings
This is how they line up in Brazil.
1) Lando Norris (McLaren)
2) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4) Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
5) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
6) George Russell (Mercedes)
7) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
8) Ollie Bearman (Haas)
9) Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
10) Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber)
11) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
12) Alex Albon (Williams)
13) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
14) Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
15) Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
17) Esteban Ocon (Haas)
18) Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
19) Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
20) Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
Max Verstappen in 16th is the headline talking point: the first time he’s gone out in Q1 since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, which was due to engine problems. Can Red Bull tinker their way to find a setup that lets the four-time world champion take some places? He’ll need to – and fast.
Preamble
Lando Norris is in P1 at Interlagos and No 1 in the title race. Already a sprint winner in Brazil, he’s in pole while his title rivals have struggled this weekend: Oscar Piastri – who crashed out of the sprint – will start fourth, Max Verstappen qualified in 16th(!)
But let’s not count our (McLaren-orange) chickens. It was only two rounds ago when Verstappen seemed to have all the momentum – maximum points from the US GP weekend briefly had him a narrow oddsmakers’ favourite in this three-way title tussle – while Piastri, despite his struggles of late, is only nine points behind Norris. With this race to go, then another three plus a sprint in Qatar, that’s so easily overhauled.
As dominant as Norris looks now, have we had the final twist in this intriguing season? I doubt it. And Interlagos is one of those F1 tracks where magic seems to happen. Last year, Verstappen started a place lower than he is today but earned one of his greatest victories from 17th (on pole that day Norris).
Admittedly, that was in torrential rain and with a Red Bull he actually enjoyed driving, whereas he hasn’t found a setup he likes at all in São Paulo in 2025. But still: Verstappen remains a threat any time he’s on the track and if Piastri can get out of his funk, he has the car and the skill to challenge. Then there’s the wild card of Kimi Antonelli, second in the sprint and on the grid, gunning for his first F1 win and little to lose compared to Norris. The race begins at 5pm (GMT) and it’s an enticing prospect. Feel free to drop me an email with your thoughts!
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