Piastri crashes out as Norris wins chaotic Sao Paulo Sprint

The Australian had been running comfortably in third and chasing down Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli when he appeared to take too much kerb at Turn 3 on Lap 7, spinning into the barriers and retiring from his second consecutive Sprint race.

Two cars followed Piastri off the road in quick succession — the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg and the Alpine of Franco Colapinto — as standing water on the kerb caught them out on the still-damp Interlagos circuit following heavy pre-race showers. The trio’s crashes brought out the red flag to repair the damaged tyre barriers.

The lengthy delay did little to unsettle polesitter Norris, who controlled proceedings from the restart to secure his second consecutive Sao Paulo Sprint victory.

He fended off a late charge from Antonelli to stretch his championship advantage to nine points over McLaren teammate Piastri.

A dejected Piastri slammed his steering wheel in frustration as he sat stranded in the barriers before climbing out of the car unharmed.

Hulkenberg and Colapinto also emerged uninjured, though Hulkenberg’s lighter damage allowed him to limp back to the pits and continue after repairs.

 

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The internal frustration for Piastri, however, was evident.

The 24-year-old cut a despondent figure as he spoke with his mechanics during the stoppage, and later as he faced the media following another costly Sprint retirement.

Piastri said he was already looking to put the disappointment behind him as he shifted focus to qualifying.

“We’ll see what weather we have for this afternoon,” he said.

“Obviously there are a lot more points on offer tomorrow, so the better job I can do this afternoon in trying to give myself a good starting spot, the better it’ll be.”

It was a bitter setback after a promising Friday showing in both practice and qualifying, and particularly galling given he had been closing on Antonelli’s soft-shod Mercedes while running on more durable medium tyres.

Norris, meanwhile, celebrated his second straight victory following his win at the Mexico City Grand Prix two weeks earlier.

“It was tough,” he said of the conditions after the Sprint.

“It makes the win a bit more rewarding when you have a race like this — especially with Kimi here. He certainly wasn’t making my life easy.

“But it’s one of those ones where you have to push because you know the guy behind is going to try and push a little bit more.”

Norris admitted he had a few close calls during the race as he battled wind and tyre degradation, saying the car didn’t feel as strong as expected.

“It was sketchy,” he admitted.

“I had a couple of little moments. Even with the wind it was tricky, and the degradation on the tyres was difficult.

“So yeah, definitely not an easy race — but probably the kind of race you expect here in Brazil. Always a difficult one.

“I just expected us to be a little bit better and we weren’t. I don’t know how much that is down to the tyres or just that they [Mercedes] did a good job and were quick today.

“So we’ve got some homework to do before quali.”

Antonelli had to settle for second, unable to mount a decisive move in the closing laps as Norris battled degrading rear tyres.

The 19-year-old remained within DRS range for the final four laps but couldn’t find a way past, instead claiming a strong podium ahead of teammate George Russell in third.

“It was a very fun race,” Antonelli said.

“It was very tricky conditions, especially at the beginning. We tried to keep the pressure on Lando but just came up short.

“Tyre deg was quite big and the wind was picking up during the race, so it was a struggle — but a fun one.”

Russell added that it was a strong result overall for Mercedes and one he hoped could carry into qualifying later in the day.

“It was a good race,” he said.

“Kimi did a great job and put Lando under a bit of pressure. P2 and P3 is a really good result, but we need to try and do the same again this afternoon.

“Qualifying is so tight, and it’s difficult to overtake at the moment, so that’s going to be key.”

Both Mercedes drivers had started on softs but switched to mediums during the red flag, while Norris did the opposite — a move that paid off for the Silver Arrows in the closing stages as the McLaren began to struggle for grip.

Max Verstappen came home fourth, gaining two positions after passing Fernando Alonso off the line and benefiting from Piastri’s retirement.

Yet the Red Bull driver remained unhappy with his car’s balance, complaining of oversteer and bottoming throughout the Sprint — prompting repeated radio exchanges with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.

On the restart, Verstappen had to fend off a strong attack from Alonso before the Aston Martin fell back into the clutches of the Ferraris.

Alonso later lost fifth to Charles Leclerc on the penultimate lap but still held off Lewis Hamilton for sixth, with Pierre Gasly taking the final point in eighth.

The race ended under double-waved yellows after home hero Gabriel Bortoleto crashed heavily on the main straight.

Gabriel Bortoleto had a big crash on the final lap 💥

He’s been on the radio to say he’s okay 👍#F1Sprint #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/9Lpuy1bvJt

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 8, 2025

The Brazilian, fighting Alex Albon and Isack Hadjar for 10th, lost control into the Senna Esses but climbed from his Sauber unharmed.

Further back, Liam Lawson finished 13th after early contact with Haas driver Oliver Bearman.

The Kiwi was forced onto the grass while attempting a move down Reta Oposta, clipping Bearman as the pair approached Turn 4 and sending the Briton into a spin.

Stewards reviewed the clash but took no further action during the race, though both drivers voiced frustration over team radio.

With the Sprint in the books, attention now turns to qualifying for the Grand Prix, which begins at 3pm local time (5am AEDT).