Five Takeaways: São Paulo Grand Prix
- Elaina Russell
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Elaina Russell, Edited by Meghana Sree
The 2025 São Paulo Grand Prix delivered yet another chapter in a title fight that refuses to settle. Here are DIVEBOMB’s five key takeaways from race weekend in Brazil.
Lando Norris extended his championship lead with a composed and commanding drive at Interlagos, while chaos, controversy and collisions defined a weekend that left several big names licking their wounds.
Norris puts one hand on the title
Norris is no longer just a contender — with just three Grands Prix left in the 2025 season, he’s the favourite.
After sweeping the weekend with pole, sprint victory and a lights-to-flag win on Sunday, the Brit left São Paulo 24 points clear of teammate Oscar Piastri and looking every bit a champion in waiting.
His control under pressure is what defined the weekend. From a clean launch off the line to measured tyre management through the closing stages, Norris was untouchable. The McLaren looked planted and well-balanced throughout, and Norris was sure to make it count.
The win in Brazil marks Norris’ seventh of the year — matching Piastri’s tally — but crucially, it’s Norris who holds all the momentum with just three rounds to go.
Piastri’s frustration deepens
Oscar Piastri’s form has unravelled at precisely the wrong moment. His fifth-place finish in Brazil means he’s now gone five races without a podium, all whilst mistakes and misfortune continue to snowball.
After crashing during Saturday’s sprint, his Sunday fared little better.
An incident with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli that saw the retirement of Charles Leclerc after the three cars went side-long into Turn 1 earned him a 10-second penalty after the Italian was sent lurching into the Ferrari of Leclerc.
It was an error borne of desperation, a rare flash of impatience from one of the grid’s most composed drivers.
For the first time all season, Piastri looks a bit rattled. The calm precision that defined his early campaign has been replaced by overreach. With Norris now streaking ahead, it’s a question of whether Piastri can regroup before it’s too late.
Antonelli announces his return
Antonelli has been building momentum for a long while, and in Brazil he exploded into form. Surviving first-lap contact with both Piastri and Leclerc, the Italian-born rookie regrouped superbly to finish second, his best-ever Formula One result.
It was an assured drive from start to finish. The 19-year-old kept his head in the chaos, executing a clever one-stop strategy and fending off Max Verstappen in the concluding laps with veteran-like composure.
His performance capped a double podium weekend, having also finished second in Saturday’s sprint.
Antonelli’s rise could hardly have come at a better time for Mercedes, who now sit second in the Constructors’, 32 points clear of third-placed Red Bull.
The rookie’s hype is starting to feel justified.
Ferrari’s weekend unravels
For Ferrari, São Paulo was an utter nightmare. The team left Brazil with no points to show for their efforts — a brutal blow to their bid for second in the Constructors’ standings.
Leclerc’s race ended almost before it began, collected by Antonelli after Piastri’s Turn 1 lunge. Lewis Hamilton’s day fared no better; contact with Franco Colapinto damaged his front wing before retiring later in the race.
It’s Ferrari’s third point-less Grand Prix of 2025, and their slump could not have come at a more disastrous time. Mercedes and Red Bull now stand between Maranello and second in the standings.
Colapinto fumes after Stroll clash
While much of the focus fell on the front, tempers flared further back too.
Alpine’s Franco Colapinto lashed out at Lance Stroll after a chaotic opening lap clash that also ended Gabriel Bortoleto’s home race.
“It was always going to be a difficult race from where we started, and it turned out to be a long afternoon managing tyres and running in dirty air,” the Argentine shared.
Colapinto told reporters afterwards: “We finished basically where we started and weren't able to make much progress.”
Colapinto finished well down the order, extending his point-less run in what has been a bruising rookie season. But with Alpine’s first points since the summer break courtesy of Pierre Gasly’s tenth-place finish and eighth in the sprint, there was at least a faint silver lining for Enstone.
Looking Ahead
As F1 heads to Las Vegas, the title fight has reached its boiling point.
Norris leads by 24 points, Piastri faces a must-win scenario and Verstappen, though mathematically alive, needs a miracle.
Antonelli is on a rise, Ferrari continue to stumble and the Constructors’ battles are tightening by the race. The desert lights of Vegas will set the stage but the pressure is only just beginning.
