Lando Norris Struggles Through A "Sketchy" Sprint Race At Brazil GP

Intense cyclones were expected today on Sprint Saturday in Brazil at Autodromo Carlos Pace, but it wasn't the rain that led to an extremely eventful 24 laps around the circuit.

Norris started on pole and held on to the lead heading into turn 1, which is often compared to the chaotic Turn 1 at COTA where the championship leader and teammate Piastri famously collided just weeks ago.

It wasn't Piastri, though, who led to a challenge for Norris today for the all-important eight points — he crashed on Lap 7 heading into Turn 3. It was Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes who led challenge to Norris, holding a sub 1 second gap for nearly the entirety of the sprint.

Not Norris' "Cruise to Victory" That He Expected

Norris commented before the sprint race today that he was hoping for a race that saw an easy victory for the championship leader, similar to his experience in Mexico. Clearly, with a red flag and pressure from Antonelli, that was not the case.

It wasn't just Antonelli though that led to a tough sprint for Lando, but the conditions of the very damp track.

"It was tough! It makes the win more rewarding when you have a race like this. It was sketchy - I had a couple of lifts. Even with the wind it was tricky. The degredation on the tires was difficult. Not an easy race, but definitely the race you expect here in Brazil. Always a difficult one."
Lando Norris, P1, McLaren

The tires will be the major topic of discussion in teams' garages heading into the qualifying session this afternoon and the race tomorrow. Norris started out on softs and switched to medium tires during the red flag caused by teammate Piastri and Alpine's Colapinto.

All three of our top three finishers — Norris, Antonelli, and Russell — commented on the high degradation that was felt through the only 24 laps of the sprint. With three cars in the wall throughout those 24 laps, tires were clearly a factor up and down the grid.

Norris added that he wasn't sure if it was Mercedes' that just "did a good job and were quick today" or if the McLaren just wasn't as fast as it should have been.

McLaren F1 Car — May 4, 2025; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (81) during the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Team Principal of McLaren, Andrea Stella added his thoughts about the tires post-session.

"We feel this track is a circuit that we can do well, but at the same time there was a difference of tires that impacted things. We will see what factor was played by the tires themselves. A few things to review."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren

Norris is now nine points clear of Piastri in the World Drivers' Championship heading into race qualifying today.

The Latest Formula 1 News