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Motorsport

Winners and losers from F1's pulsating Brazil Grand Prix

Lando Norris Max Verstappen Oscar Piastri F1 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Brazil Gabriel Bortoleto Pierre Gasly Red Bull Lewis Hamilton

Even in the dry Interlagos never disappoints, with another all-action race up and down the field that saw several heavy-hitters find trouble which handed midfielders an opportunity to shine. And then there was Max Verstappen.

Winner: Lando Norris

Two poles and two wins, not a bad Sao Paulo weekend for Lando Norris. Even the Briton's harshest critics, of which there appear to be many for whatever reason, have had to acknowledge that after his early struggles to match Oscar Piastri and a brace of unforced errors, Norris is now firing on all cylinders and has put himself in a brilliant position to win this year's championship.

For the first time this season Norris took back-to-back poles as McLaren appears to have weathered Red Bull's storm, and the 25-year-old has not put a foot wrong since his tap with Piastri in Singapore. It's not over yet, but after a 23-point swing in just one weekend, things are looking good for Norris.

(Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images)

Loser: Oscar Piastri

If Norris was stuck in the hurt locker earlier this year, then he has traded places with team-mate Piastri, who has quite simply had a disastrous six weeks.

The good news for Piastri was confirmation that his puzzling Austin-Mexico struggles largely appear to be behind him. But Piastri is still struggling to match a flying Norris for pace right now, and that is at the heart of all the other issues and race situations he is getting entangled in.

Yes, his sprint crash on a wet kerb was somewhat unlucky and you could argue his 10-second penalty for triggering the clash with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc different ways. But the common denominator is that by being further back on the grid, he is being forced to take bigger risks to chase his team-mate down.

Piastri will now need three big weekends, and an average gain of eight points on Norris. McLaren not being expected to be the strongest team in Las Vegas is not going to help his cause.

Winner: Max Verstappen

Last year's comeback race in the rain was one of Max Verstappen's finest hours, an all-time wet-weather masterclass. He could never do that in the dry, could he?

Turns out he could. Overcoming a pitlane start and an early puncture, Verstappen was absolutely on fire on Sunday, turning to an improvised three-stop strategy to swat away the entire F1 2025 midfield like flies.

It further underlined that Red Bull did have some serious pace this weekend, but somehow got its set-up from on Friday and then made it even worse on Saturday to leave both of its cars out of Q1 for the first time in 19 years. Whatever Red Bull did to turn Verstappen's car upside down before the race, it worked and easily made the pitlane start worth it.

But let that and the assistance from a fresh power unit not detract from the four-time world champion's own contribution. He was simply scintillating.

(Photo by: Nelson Almeida / AFP via Getty Images)

Loser: Ferrari

Verstappen is even single-handedly beating Ferrari right now, which dropped behind Mercedes and Red Bull from second to fourth in the constructors' title after a Brazilian nightmare.

Charles Leclerc was desperately unlucky to be punted out of the race on lap six by the contact between Piastri and Antonelli. But the chasm between himself and the cars from McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull in Saturday's sprint shows Ferrari is limping to the finish line.

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari "nightmare" - his words after the race, not ours - continues, receiving crippling floor damage after a contact at the start with Carlos Sainz. The race for Brazil's honorary citizen then further unravelled after running into the back of Franco Colapinto on the straight, which crumbled his front wing.

In Hamilton's defence, Colapinto moved left at the same time as Hamilton pulled out of the tow, but the stewards still handed the seven-time world champion a five-second penalty. It didn't matter anyway, as Hamilton's race was beyond saving. Like Piastri, being far out of position from a 13th spot on the grid is just inviting trouble.

Ferrari shouldn't be beaten by a one-man team, but it looks like it might.

Winner: Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Since Baku, only Norris and Verstappen have outscored Antonelli's tally of 56 points. Toto Wolff's tough love approach with his child prodigy Antonelli after Monza appears to have worked.

Other than a difficult Austin weekend, where he was hit by Carlos Sainz, Antonelli has finished second, fourth, fifth and sixth, and his second career podium and best-ever F1 result was hard-earned after getting the better of team-mate Russell and not wilting under the pressure from Verstappen in the closing stages.

Mercedes' bold choice to back youth and prepare Antonelli for the hard knocks of F1 ahead of 2026 seems to be paying off more and more.

(Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images)

Loser: Gabriel Bortoleto

For eight years Brazilian fans have been waiting for a successor to Felipe Massa. And while Sauber's performances at the start of 2025 dampened expectations, Gabriel Bortoleto showed flashes of brilliance to suggest his homecoming could be one of celebration.

But a dream weekend soon turned into a nightmare after a violent crash in the closing stages of Saturday's sprint, which saw him miss qualifying. Another shunt followed in the race after he was elbowed out of the way by Lance Stroll to complete his Interlagos disaster.

Bortoleto has taken his up-and-down rookie season in good stride and, as he said on Saturday night, it will only turn him into a better driver. The 2025 season isn't what matters to the future Audi team. Bortoleto should look at it the same way.

Winner: Oliver Bearman

Speaking of flying rookies, Oliver Bearman seems unstoppable right now after making good use of Haas' Austin upgrades to become the man to beat at the front of F1's tight midfield.

In Brazil the British rookie added eight points to his 12-point score from Mexico to drag past Sauber and into the fight with Racing Bulls and Aston Martin for sixth. His Turn 1 overtake on Nico Hulkenberg in particular is worth a replay if you haven't seen it, and otherwise Bearman was simply rapid.

After another difficult weekend on the other side of the garage, Haas will be scratching its head at the more experienced Esteban Ocon's inability to do the same, Ocon baffled by his car's issues with what seems to be a similar set-up to his team-mate's.

(Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images)

Winner: Pierre Gasly

Rather than appoint another loser, we would be remiss not to tip our hats to Pierre Gasly and Alpine after the Frenchman brought a spark to team Enstone's a truly miserable campaign with two hard-earned points in both the sprint and main grand prix.

Amid the most frustrating season of his career, Gasly saw his grit and commitment to the team rewarded. Gasly's combative drive on Sunday especially shows that while 2026 can't come soon enough, once the helmet goes on he isn't taking any prisoners. Just ask Isack Hadjar, who had to trade places with Gasly several times before finally powering past.

Honourable mentions go to Racing Bulls duo Hadjar (for his one-lap performance) and Liam Lawson (for making a one-stop pay off).