The 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos kicked off under mixed weather conditions with a 40% chance of rain, though the track stayed mostly dry for the 71-lap race. Lando Norris started from pole with a qualifying time of 1:09.511 and held the lead from the start ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri. Right away, chaos hit on lap 1: Lewis Hamilton was involved in contacts with Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto, damaging his front wing and floor, while local hero Gabriel Bortoleto crashed out after hitting Lance Stroll, bringing out the Safety Car for five laps. Max Verstappen, starting from the pit lane due to power unit changes, quickly moved up to P13 by the restart. The restart on lap 6 sparked more drama when Piastri locked up and collided with Antonelli, who then hit Charles Leclerc, forcing Leclerc to retire with tire damage and triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Piastri got a 10-second penalty for the incident. Under the VSC, Verstappen pitted for a puncture and dropped to last, but he began a strong recovery. Yuki Tsunoda earned two 10-second penalties—one for a collision with Stroll and another for not serving it correctly. Hamilton, struggling with his damaged car, received a 5-second penalty for his Colapinto contact and eventually retired mid-race, marking a double DNF for Ferrari. As the race progressed, pit stops shaped strategies: Antonelli pitted early on lap 22 for mediums, dropping to P11 before recovering. Norris pitted on lap 31 for used softs, rejoining in P4 and swiftly passing Verstappen. Piastri delayed his stop to lap 39 to build a gap, served his penalty, and rejoined in P9 on softs. Verstappen, on a three-stop strategy, pitted on lap 35 for mediums and again on lap 55 for fresh softs, setting him up for a late charge. By lap 46, Norris led Antonelli by 7.8 seconds, with Russell in P3 and Verstappen closing in. In the closing stages, Verstappen overtook Russell on the outside of the main straight on lap 56 for P3 and caught Antonelli with DRS by lap 67. Piastri climbed to P5 by passing Lawson and Bearman. On the final lap, Antonelli went wide, allowing Verstappen to close, but held on for second. A late contact between Lawson and Hadjar was investigated but no penalty was given. Norris crossed the line in 1:32:01.596, securing his 11th F1 win and McLaren’s 203rd. This victory extended Norris’s championship lead to 24 points over Piastri, with Verstappen 49 points back. Alexander Albon set the fastest lap, his first in F1. Mercedes jumped ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. Norris dedicated the win to his mentor Gil de Ferran, calling it a “perfect weekend” on an “amazing track with incredible fans.”