F1 2025 Sao Paulo GP: Norris dominates, Verstappen climbs from pit lane to the podium
The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix delivered a spectacle filled with chaos, strategy, and stunning comebacks. Lando Norris claimed victory for McLaren, while Kimi Antonelli secured an impressive second place—marking his second career podium. Max Verstappen, starting from the pit lane, executed a phenomenal recovery drive to finish third.
As the five lights went out over Interlagos, the tension immediately turned into drama. Gabriel Bortoleto, racing in front of his home crowd, collided with Lance Stroll and was forced to retire before completing the first lap, triggering an early yellow flag. Moments later, Lewis Hamilton and Franco Colapinto tangled, leaving Hamilton with front-end damage. The Ferrari driver managed to pit but dropped to sixth place.
Once the yellow flag cleared, chaos struck again at the front when Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, and Charles Leclerc came together—ending Leclerc’s race and prompting a Virtual Safety Car. McLaren’s Piastri took advantage of the incident, moving up to second behind teammate Norris.
Further back, George Russell gained momentum, overtaking both Racing Bulls cars and later passing Isack Hadjar to climb to fourth. Meanwhile, Verstappen began slicing through the field, overtaking Hamilton and edging closer to the midfield.
Piastri’s early collision earned him a 10-second penalty, but Verstappen’s charge from the pit lane continued unabated. Strategic pit stops reshuffled the order, pushing the Dutchman up to fourth, just behind Norris and Antonelli. Norris emerged from the pits ahead of both, using his soft tires to overtake Verstappen and reclaim the lead.
Ferrari’s woes continued as Hamilton retired due to lingering damage from his earlier clash with Colapinto. With both cars out, it was a weekend to forget for the Scuderia.
As the race entered its closing laps, Verstappen briefly led before pitting again on lap 55 for a fresh set of softs. The Red Bull driver rejoined in fourth and quickly overtook Lawson and Piastri. In the final laps, he passed Russell to claim third, but couldn’t catch Antonelli, who held firm for second place.
At the checkered flag, it was Lando Norris celebrating victory in Brazil, followed by Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, completing an unforgettable podium that perfectly reflected the chaos and unpredictability of Interlagos.
