Piastri gifts Norris Brazil Spint win to help him in title battle

Lando Norris claimed victory in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint race, shaving two points off Max Verstappen’s championship lead. Norris overtook his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri with just two laps remaining, following team orders to maximize his points haul. However, the swap was tense and came late, only after Verstappen’s Red Bull had overtaken Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari with six laps to go. With this result, Verstappen’s lead is reduced to 45 points heading into Sunday’s main race. Qualifying for the Grand Prix will take place at 18:00 GMT on Saturday.

The race featured a thrilling four-way battle at the front, with Piastri initially leading Norris, Leclerc, and Verstappen, all running nose to tail for the first 18 laps. McLaren had initially planned to let Norris lead from early on, hoping to optimize his points against Verstappen. However, they missed an early opportunity to swap positions on lap three, when Norris was 1.6 seconds ahead of Leclerc. This delay allowed Leclerc to close the gap and maintain pressure with DRS, leaving Norris vulnerable to both Leclerc and Verstappen.

A frantic restart! 😵

Watch all the best moments from #F1Sprint in Sao Paulo 👇#F1 #BrazilGP

More on this topic:

McLaren defeat Ferrari to Formula 1 constructors’ title

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 2, 2024

By lap 17, Verstappen was closing in, and he finally overtook Leclerc with DRS at Turn Four on lap 18. McLaren still held a slim pace advantage over Verstappen but faced a new threat when Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas broke down on lap 21. The risk of a virtual or full safety car loomed, which could have cemented Piastri’s lead if McLaren hadn’t switched the drivers in time. Fortunately for McLaren, the swap was completed just before the virtual safety car (VSC) was deployed, with the race briefly resuming for a final half-lap before Norris took the win.