The Sao Paulo weekend delivered a day of high pressure and changing conditions at Interlagos, as the Formula 1 field navigated a damp circuit, tyre strategy gambles and multiple incidents across both the Sprint Race and Grand Prix Qualifying.
Lando Norris strengthened his grip on the championship lead with a hard-fought Sprint victory, then backed that performance up by taking pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
For New Zealand fans, there were two clear focal points. Liam Lawson endured a difficult Sprint after contact and a post-race penalty dropped him down the order, but he responded well later in qualifying to secure seventh on the grid for Sunday.
His Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar finished just outside the points in the Sprint before qualifying in fifth place on the grid for the Grand Prix.
The result gives Racing Bulls a strong platform for Sunday, with both cars positioned inside the top eight.
SPRINT RACE:
The field lined up for the 24-lap Sprint on a track that was still holding moisture in several key sections.
The majority of teams selected the medium compound tyres for the start, while a few, including Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc, Hadjar and Albon, chose softs to gain early grip.
Norris made a clean launch from pole and covered off Antonelli into Turn 1. Behind them, Oscar Piastri applied pressure before settling into the early rhythm.
Verstappen quickly forced his way past Alonso to move into the top five, while the Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton ran closely behind that group.
Further back, the field compressed through the opening sector. Lawson and Ollie Bearman came together while braking into Turn 4, with Bearman spinning and Lawson continuing but with front wing damage.
Both drivers were noted by race control, an investigation that would later result in time penalties.
The race complexion changed suddenly on lap six. Piastri ran wide onto a damp section of kerbing at Turn 3 and lost control, hitting the barriers at speed.
Within moments, Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto also went off at the same point. The Safety Car was called, and soon after the red flag was shown while the damaged cars and broken barriers were attended to.
During the stoppage, teams were allowed to change tyres, and most leaders switched to the soft compound for the final segment. The restart took place behind the Safety Car with 15 laps remaining.
Norris retained the lead as the racing resumed, but this phase of the Sprint proved far more difficult for him. The soft tyres on his McLaren began to fade as the track continued drying, while Antonelli steadily closed in.
Russell held third but was not close enough to challenge the lead pair. Verstappen sat in fourth and gradually opened a gap over Alonso, who was struggling with tyre temperature build-up.
Leclerc eventually found his way past Alonso to take fifth, with Hamilton also applying pressure.
The defining moment of the race finish came when Gabriel Bortoleto lost control and hit the barriers heavily in the closing laps.
With double yellow flags flown in the final sector, Antonelli was prevented from making a last-lap attack, securing Norris the Sprint victory by just under a second.
Lawson crossed the line in 13th, but the earlier incident with Bearman resulted in a five-second penalty, dropping him to 16th in the final classification.
Hadjar ran a clean and measured Sprint, remaining in the top twelve throughout and finishing 10th, only one position outside the points.
GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING:
The strong showing for Racing Bulls came later in the day when the teams returned for Grand Prix Qualifying.
The first segment of qualifying produced the day’s headline shock. Max Verstappen could not extract balance or stability from the rear of the RB21, reporting understeer in the middle sector and poor traction on corner exit.
His initial laps were not strong enough to keep him out of danger, and his final attempt failed to lift him out of the bottom five. The defending champion was eliminated in Q1 in 16th place.
Meanwhile, Hadjar and Lawson made immediate progress. Both entered Q2 comfortably, with Hadjar particularly impressive through the high-speed direction changes in sector two.
Lawson refined his braking reference after the Sprint incident and displayed a consistent pace that kept him inside the safe zone throughout.
In Q2, Norris again set the benchmark, with Bearman and Antonelli also near the top. Hamilton, Albon, Alonso, Stroll and Sainz were the drivers eliminated.
Racing Bulls advanced both cars into Q3, continuing what was shaping up to be their most competitive performance of the season on a single lap.
Q3 became a contest between McLaren and Mercedes for pole. Piastri briefly occupied provisional pole before Norris regrouped after locking up on his opening attempt.
Norris delivered a clean and controlled lap of 1:09.511 to secure the top spot. Antonelli placed second for Mercedes, ahead of Leclerc. Piastri took fourth.
Hadjar produced a composed final lap to secure fifth, placing him ahead of Russell. Lawson followed with a well-managed effort to take seventh, his best qualifying result since his full-time return.
Racing Bulls approach Sunday (local time) with both strategic and performance flexibility. Hadjar starts on the third row with a clear chance to race the McLarens and Mercedes ahead.
Lawson, starting seventh, starts alongside Bearman. Points are a realistic target for both cars, with further opportunity if the field experiences more of the unpredictable conditions that shaped Saturday.
Header Image: Zak Mauger/LAT Images via Red Bull Content Pool
