In the slightly chilly weather with intermittent rain, the Saint Paul’s GP final delivered an exciting spectacle, culminating in Lando Norris claiming victory. Despite Max Verstappen starting from the pits due to an unexpected mishap in qualifying, he successfully altered his strategy and chased his way up the ranks, ultimately securing a spot on the podium in third place.
This qualifying round of the championship turned out to be a major setback, particularly for the team’s star, Max Verstappen. The session, held after the sprint race, followed a knockout format spanning three segments of 18, 15, and 12 minutes. A significant incident occurred when Bortoleto crashed on the final lap of the sprint, requiring repairs to his car and leading to only 19 drivers participating in the qualifying session. However, the biggest shock came when Verstappen surprisingly failed to progress past Q1, ending his streak of never being eliminated in Q1 over the past four years, and delivering a stunning upset for Red Bull, as it marked the first time since the 2006 Japanese GP that both cars missed Q1.
This qualifying round turned out to be quite the upset, indirectly giving the back-end teams a chance to make a breakthrough, with multiple drivers like Hadjar, Lawson, and Bearman advancing to Q3. Hadjar even succeeded in finishing fifth, surpassing more experienced drivers like Russell.
In the qualifying rounds, Lando Norris clinched pole position with a stunning time of 1:09.511, followed closely by Antonelli and Leclerc, securing the second and third spots respectively. This outcome also determined the starting grid for the final race, where Norris and Antonelli would once again showcase their fierce battle from the sprint race, while Verstappen had to start from the pit lane due to further adjustments to his car setup and a host of component changes.
On the day of the finals, the temperature hovered around 18 degrees Celsius, with the track temperature hitting 30 degrees. According to data from Pirelli, most drivers opted for medium and soft tires as their starting choice, mainly following a one-stop strategy. However, the weather conditions were less stable than predicted, with light rain sporadically dampening the track at the start of the race. During the initial phase, Norris and Antonelli maintained their lead, but Lawson took advantage of a strong start to overtake Russell, claiming the sixth position.
The intense battles at the start of the race led to multiple incidents. Bortoleto made contact with Stroll at Turn 10, crashing into the wall, which prompted the deployment of the safety car lasting until Lap 6. During this period, Leclerc attempted to sandwich Piastri against Antonelli, resulting in a collision that forced Leclerc to retire from the race, while Piastri’s car sustained damage and received a 10-second penalty. Meanwhile, Verstappen, having run over debris on the track, had to pit early just like Tsunoda, causing his earlier efforts to push forward to fall short once again.
In the middle of the race, Russell found his rhythm again, overtaking several drivers and climbing up to fourth place, while Verstappen faced a long battle but eventually secured a spot in the top five thanks to a steady strategy. With Piastri struggling due to penalties, Norris gradually built a more significant lead, positioning himself advantageously. At this point, several teams made strategic pit stops, further impacting the overall dynamics.
In the end, Landau Norris maintained his lead until the finish line, successfully clinching the championship, while Antonelli followed closely behind to secure second place. Max Verstappen made a remarkable comeback from the pit, employing bold tactics and steady driving to snatch a valuable third place.
Lights out at Interlagos! 🇧🇷 Watch the race start 🎥#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/LWNn5wLWj1
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 9, 2025
