F1 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix: Norris Dominates in São Paulo as FIA Confirms Final Results
The FIA has officially released the provisional classification for the 2025 Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix, confirming another masterful weekend for McLaren’s Lando Norris, who extended his championship lead with a clean sweep in São Paulo. Norris claimed victory in both the sprint race and the main event at Interlagos, tightening his grip on the drivers’ standings with just a few races left in the season.
It was another display of control, consistency, and race intelligence from Norris, who continues to look like the clear favourite for this year’s title. His win on Sunday marked his seventh of the season and pushed him 24 points ahead of his closest rival and McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri. The Briton’s ability to extract maximum performance from his car in both wet and dry conditions once again highlighted McLaren’s technical strength and Norris’s growing maturity as a driver.
However, while Norris thrived, Piastri endured a disastrous weekend. The Australian struggled for rhythm in both the sprint and the main race, with his Sunday efforts further compromised by a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision involving Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The contact, which occurred during a mid-race battle for position, left Leclerc’s Ferrari with significant damage and eventually forced the Monegasque to retire. Although Piastri managed to finish fifth, the penalty prevented him from mounting a stronger challenge and significantly widened Norris’s lead in the championship.
For Mercedes, there was reason to celebrate as Kimi Antonelli produced the best performance of his rookie Formula 1 season. The young Italian finished second—his highest-ever result in the sport—after a strong and composed drive that earned him his second career podium. Antonelli’s pace was impressive throughout the race as he defended fiercely against Max Verstappen in the final laps. His result marks another milestone in his rapid development and signals a promising future for the Mercedes junior star.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, delivered one of the standout performances of the race after recovering from a pit lane start to finish on the podium. The four-time world champion made up an incredible number of places in the opening half of the race, carving through the field with precision and trademark aggression. Verstappen’s climb to third capped off a frustrating weekend for Red Bull, who struggled with pace in qualifying but showed strong recovery potential during the race. His third-place finish keeps him mathematically in the championship fight, though McLaren’s advantage now looks formidable.
Behind the top three, George Russell brought home a solid fourth-place finish for Mercedes after battling closely with the McLarens throughout the race. Piastri followed in fifth, while Haas’s Oliver Bearman impressed once again with a mature drive to sixth—continuing his run of scoring points in consecutive races.
The Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar secured seventh and eighth respectively after a clean and consistent race that showed the team’s steady improvement. They were followed by Nico Hülkenberg in ninth for Kick Sauber and Pierre Gasly in tenth for Alpine, rounding out the points-scoring positions.
Alex Albon narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish but still earned the fastest lap of the race with a blistering 1:12.400 on lap 59. However, under the new 2025 regulations, the fastest lap no longer carries an extra championship point. The FIA removed the rule—which had been in place since 2019—to discourage drivers from making unnecessary late pit stops simply to chase the single bonus point.
The fastest lap rule had become a strategic wildcard in previous seasons, often leading to unusual race situations. A notable example came in Daniel Ricciardo’s final F1 appearance in 2024, when the Australian—running in last place—pitted for fresh tyres and set the fastest lap on the final circuit of the Singapore Grand Prix. The move cost nothing for Ricciardo but crucially prevented Lando Norris from earning the extra point, subtly aiding Max Verstappen’s championship hopes at the time.
Back in São Paulo, three drivers failed to finish the race. Home favourite Gabriel Bortoleto retired on the very first lap after crashing his Kick Sauber at Turn 3, bringing a heartbreaking end to his home Grand Prix debut. Both Ferrari drivers also retired—Lewis Hamilton suffered terminal damage following contact in the early stages, while Charles Leclerc’s race ended due to the collision triggered by Piastri. It was a bitter blow for the Scuderia, who leave Brazil empty-handed after showing early signs of competitiveness.
With only a few rounds remaining in the 2025 Formula 1 calendar, Lando Norris’s dominance in Brazil has made his championship aspirations stronger than ever. McLaren’s one-two position in the standings underscores their resurgence as the team to beat, while Mercedes and Red Bull will be eager to respond before the season finale.
Final Top 3 Results – 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix (Provisional):
1. Lando Norris – McLaren – Winner
2. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes – +10.388s
3. Max Verstappen – Red Bull – +10.750s
Fastest Lap: Alex Albon (Williams) – 1:12.400 (Lap 59, no point awarded)
Norris’s victory at Interlagos not only reaffirms his championship momentum but also sets the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the 2025 season—one where McLaren’s dominance, Mercedes’ youth, and Red Bull’s resilience continue to shape one of the most competitive title fights in years.
